Historic Audience for U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team
The U.S. men’s national soccer team’s 2-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina during the World Cup attracted unprecedented television viewership. It became the most-watched English-language soccer broadcast in U.S. history, with an audience peak at approximately 31.8 million viewers and an average of 24.4 million, according to Fox Sports. An additional 9.1 million viewers joined via the Spanish-language Telemundo network.
Surpassing Previous Records
This knockout-stage match outperformed the previous English-language record of 22.3 million viewers set during the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup final between the U.S. and Japan, as reported by Fox Sports. Earlier group-stage matches by the U.S. men’s team against Paraguay, Turkey, and Australia drew average audiences of 18 million, 17 million, and 16 million, respectively, according to Nielsen.
Competition with Other Major Sporting Events
The viewing figures of the U.S. soccer match can be compared to other significant sports events in the country over the past year. The NBA Finals, featuring the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs, had an average of 24.5 million viewers on ABC and ESPN, marking the highest numbers since 1998. Major League Baseball’s 2025 World Series final averaged 27.3 million viewers. In contrast, the NFL’s Sunday Night Football averaged 23.5 million on NBC last season.
Despite these impressive figures, they remain smaller than the Super Bowl, the nation’s most-watched sports event. This year’s Super Bowl averaged 125.6 million viewers across various platforms, Nielsen reported.
Engagement with the World Cup Expands
With the upcoming 2026 World Cup being co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, American audiences are likely to enjoy more accessible viewing experiences due to home venues and favorable schedules. This trend indicates increased interest among casual U.S. viewers who were not traditional soccer fans in the past. For example, the 2022 World Cup final between Argentina and France saw 25.8 million viewers on Fox and Telemundo.
The U.S. team’s most-watched match in that tournament was against England, drawing 19.9 million viewers across Fox and Telemundo. Their last-16 match against the Netherlands garnered 16.5 million viewers.
After advancing to the last 16 of the World Cup, the U.S. men’s team will face Belgium. This upcoming match is expected to attract a substantial audience.