NEW JERSEY: The FIFA World Cup 2026 final between Spain and Argentina attracted nearly 63 million viewers across the United States, setting a new television audience record and highlighting football’s rapidly growing popularity in the country.
The championship match, played at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, saw Spain edge Argentina 1-0 after an extra-time goal in the 106th minute, securing their second FIFA World Cup title.
According to official broadcast figures, Fox’s English-language coverage drew 38.9 million viewers, while Telemundo and Peacock’s Spanish-language broadcasts attracted an additional 23.9 million viewers. The combined audience of 62.8 million more than doubled the 22.3 million Americans who watched the 2022 World Cup final in Qatar.
World Cup Delivers Massive Ratings Success
The record-breaking audience capped a highly successful tournament for broadcasters, with Fox and Comcast reportedly investing approximately $485 million and $600 million, respectively, for media rights that included the FIFA World Cup.
Several knockout-stage matches also delivered exceptional ratings. The Round of 16 clash between England and Mexico attracted nearly 45 million viewers, surpassing audiences for several recent championship events in major American sports.
The match outperformed Game 7 of Major League Baseball’s World Series, which drew around 27 million viewers, and Game 5 of the NBA Finals, watched by nearly 25 million viewers.
Although the audience remained below the approximately 126 million viewers who watched Super Bowl LX, industry analysts described the tournament as a landmark achievement for football in a country traditionally dominated by American football, basketball and baseball.
Prime-Time Scheduling and Global Stars Boost Interest
The 2026 FIFA World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, benefited from prime-time kickoff schedules that maximized television audiences across North America.
The tournament also generated enormous interest because it featured what could be the final World Cup appearances of legendary football icons Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, drawing fans from across generations.
The United States last hosted the FIFA World Cup in 1994, and the expanded 48-team tournament helped bring unprecedented attention to the sport across the country.
Streaming and Advertising Reach New Highs
Fox’s streaming platform, Fox One, reported 2.8 million new subscriptions in June, marking its strongest month since launching and more than doubling the subscriptions recorded during the NFL Playoffs earlier in the year.
Spanish-language broadcaster Telemundo also benefited from strong viewership among Hispanic audiences, further boosting the tournament’s overall reach.
Marketing experts said advertising demand surged throughout the knockout stages, with premium 30-second commercial spots selling for as much as $1 million, more than double the rates seen during the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Major global brands, including PepsiCo, Home Depot, Anheuser-Busch, and Coca-Cola, were among the leading advertisers capitalizing on the tournament’s record-breaking audience.
The unprecedented television ratings underscore football’s continued rise in the United States and reinforce expectations that the sport will play an even bigger role in the country’s sporting landscape in the years ahead.
