World Cup Final Breaks Major Ratings Record as Most-Watch Soccer Telecast in U.S. History

The 2026 FIFA World Cup took the United States by storm, and the ratings prove it. Even though the U.S. team was eliminated in the round of 16, the final game of the tournament between Spain and Argentina aired on Fox, Telemundo, and Peacock and officially became the most-watched soccer telecast in the U.S. by a landslide.

Fox averaged 38,937,000 viewers during the game, which is also the most-watched World Cup final ever in the United States. Over on Telemundo and Peacock, 23.9 million viewers tuned in, which also made the final the most-watched soccer game in Spanish-language TV history.

A total of 62.8 million viewers total tuned in for the big game, which saw Spain defeat Argentina 1-0. Viewership spiked around the time Spain scored its only goal during extra time. The game also featured a halftime show performance that included Madonna, Justin Bieber, BTS, Shakira, and more.

Compared to the 2022 World Cup final, which was held in Qatar and played between France and Argentina, viewership was up 132%. The December 18, 2022, game averaged 16,784,000 viewers. In 2018, the final between France and Croatia was held in Russia on July 14 and 11,441,000 viewers tuned in. This year’s ratings are up 240% from eight years ago.

The United States was eliminated from the tournament in the round of 16 after losing to Belgium. There were 33,089,000 viewers who tuned into that game, making it the most-watched soccer telecast in the U.S. before the final. The third place match between France and Belgium also became the most-watched World Cup third-place game in U.S. history with 13,130,000 viewers, and the semifinal match between Argentina and England was the most-watched World Cup semifinals game in U.S. history with 15.063 million viewers on Fox.

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For this year’s World Cup as a whole, an average of 7.74 million viewers tuned in across Fox, FS1, and Tubi. This was up 116% from the average 3.59 million who watched in 2022 and up 179% from the 2.77 million who tuned in in 2018.