Compiled by Al Jazeera Staff and Reuters.

The World Cup has long been the most-watched sporting event globally, and its US viewership has grown with each edition.

Published On 22 Jul 202622 Jul 2026

Nearly 63 million Americans tuned in to watch Spain beat Argentina in the FIFA World Cup final on Sunday, shattering viewership records and underscoring football’s growing appeal in the United States after decades of efforts to broaden its audience.

The match, played in New Jersey, was deadlocked until Spain scored in the 106th minute, securing a 1-0 extra-time win.

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Fox’s English-language broadcast attracted 38.9 million viewers while Comcast’s Telemundo TV network and Peacock streaming platform pulled in another 23.9 million viewers for the Spanish-language coverage, the companies said. The combined audience far exceeded the 22.3 million US viewers who watched the 2022 World Cup final in Qatar.

The strong viewership capped what analysts said was a solid run for the tournament’s broadcasters with Fox and Comcast paying roughly $485m and $600m, respectively, for rights packages that included the World Cup, according to media reports.

Several knockout-stage matches also outperformed recent championship games in other major US sports.

The round of 16 meeting between England and Mexico drew nearly 45 million viewers, well above the roughly 27 million who watched Game 7 of Major League Baseball’s World Series when the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Toronto Blue Jays in extra innings and the nearly 25 million who tuned in for Game 5 of the NBA Finals when the New York Knicks ended a 53-year title drought by defeating the San Antonio Spurs.

Although the audience fell short of the nearly 126 million who watched Super Bowl LX, where the Seattle Seahawks beat the New England Patriots, the numbers represented a major milestone for a sport traditionally eclipsed by American football, basketball, and baseball.

The World Cup, cohosted by the US, Canada and Mexico for the first time, benefitted from prime-time kickoff slots for US audiences. Fans were also drawn by what could be the final World Cup appearances of a generation’s biggest stars, including Argentina’s Lionel Messi and his longtime Portuguese rival Cristiano Ronaldo. The last time the US hosted the tournament was in 1994.

Fox broadcast all 104 fixtures on its English platforms, and US viewership remained strong even after the USA were eliminated by Belgium in the round of 16 on July 6.

The next World Cup will be cohosted by Spain, Portugal and Morocco in 2030, followed by Saudi Arabia in 2034. Both tournaments are likely to feature less favourable kickoff times for US viewers, which could weigh on future ratings.

Argentina's forward #10 Lionel Messi kicks the ball during the 2026 World Cup football tournament final match between Spain and Argentina at the New York/New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford on July 19, 2026.
Argentina’s superstar forward Lionel Messi was a key ratings draw for US audiences during the World Cup 2026 [AFP]

The record viewership underscores the success of broadcasters' investments in World Cup rights. With the tournament expanding to 48 teams in 2026, interest is expected to grow further. The presence of stars like Messi and Ronaldo also boosted appeal.