Fox reveals the U.S. cities that watched the World Cup the most - Awful Announcing

What the report says

Awful Announcing reported that Fox Sports has released local-market data showing where U.S. viewers were most engaged with its English-language coverage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The figures, published after the tournament and cited by writer Manny Soloway, ranked the top 15 markets by average household rating and share across Fox and FS1 broadcasts.

Kansas City ranked first, averaging a 4.89 household rating and a 20 share. In practical terms, Fox’s data indicates that nearly 4.9% of Kansas City-area TV households were watching an average match, while one-fifth of televisions in use during those windows were tuned to the World Cup. The result aligns with Kansas City’s long-running branding as a major U.S. soccer market.

Boston and Austin followed among the leading markets, while San Francisco, Dallas, San Diego and Atlanta also averaged household ratings above 3.5, according to the report. San Francisco stood out with a 21 share, the highest mentioned in the article among that group. Awful Announcing noted that the data covers English-language broadcasts only and that household ratings do not include out-of-home viewing, even though broader audience totals increasingly account for viewing in places such as bars and public venues.

The report framed the numbers as potentially useful for assessing soccer’s growth in the United States after hosting the World Cup. Markets with strong ratings could draw attention from leagues, broadcasters and youth-development advocates, while future comparisons with 2030 World Cup viewership may help show whether the 2026 tournament produced a durable increase in interest.