The 2026 World Cup by the Record-Breaking TV Numbers - The Hollywood Reporter

What the report says

The Hollywood Reporter, citing viewing data from Fox Sports, NBCUniversal platforms and related measurement sources, reported that the 2026 men’s World Cup became the biggest soccer television event ever in the United States. The tournament opened June 11 with Mexico vs. South Africa drawing 13.4 million viewers on Telemundo and Peacock and 7.19 million on Fox, both record U.S. audiences for a World Cup opener.

The record pace continued through the July 19 final between Spain and Argentina. THR reported that Fox, Telemundo and Peacock together averaged 62.8 million viewers for the final telecast, with 66.4 million for the match window, far above the previous U.S. soccer TV record of 26.7 million for the 2015 women’s World Cup final. The earlier men’s record was 25.78 million for the 2022 final.

Across all 104 matches, the tournament averaged 14.04 million viewers, including 7.74 million across Fox, FS1 and Tubi and 6.3 million across Telemundo, Peacock, Universo and other NBCU outlets. THR noted that the expanded 48-team format added matches compared with recent 32-team tournaments, while the North American locations gave U.S. audiences more favorable afternoon and evening viewing windows than recent World Cups.

The report also highlighted large digital audiences: Telemundo-related platforms logged 77.2 billion minutes of World Cup coverage, FIFA’s official YouTube channel recorded 4 billion views, and Fox Sports said its digital and social channels generated 17.2 billion views. The figures underscore how the tournament’s U.S. staging, expanded format and streaming distribution turned it into a major cross-platform media event.