USMNT Shatters TV Ratings Record, Proving Soccer Has Firmly Planted Its Roots in America

The U.S. men's national team has been making history both on and off the pitch at the 2026 World Cup. Not only did they secure their first knockout stage victory in 24 years, but Mauricio Pochettino's side is also generating enormous buzz beyond the field, as the 2–0 victory against Bosnia and Herzegovina became the most-watched English-language soccer broadcast in U.S. television history.

Supporters have packed SoFi Stadium, Lumen Field, and Levi's Stadium to the rafters in backing of the Stars and Stripes, while watch parties, overflowing bars, and millions of households have all been glued to what has been a remarkable summer of soccer across the country.

According to Nielsen, Wednesday's victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina drew 24.43 million viewers on Fox, with the audience peaking at 31.8 million during the first-ever USMNT World Cup knockout match broadcast in primetime this century. The previous record for the most-watched English-language soccer telecast in the U.S. was held by the 2015 Women's World Cup final between the USWNT and Japan, which attracted 22.3 million viewers.

Telemundo, which draws a significant number of English-speaking viewers due to its wider accessibility, reported 9.1 million total viewers throughout the match window, putting those figures on pace to rank among the most-watched Spanish-language soccer broadcasts in U.S. history.

With a combined average likely exceeding 30 million U.S. viewers, the figures surpass last month's NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs (20.6 million), the 2025 World Series, and the NFL's AFC and NFC Wild Card playoff games from 2025. That said, the numbers still fall well short of the Super Bowl's average of 125.6 million viewers on NBC earlier this year. 

Mexico, Canada Bringing in Massive Numbers

It isn't only U.S. supporters who have been swept up in World Cup fever, as both Mexico and Canada — the tournament's fellow co-hosts — have also seen record-breaking viewership numbers.

On Tuesday, as Mexico defeated Ecuador 2–0 in the round of 32 at the Estadio Azteca, an average of 18.9 million viewers tuned in via Telemundo and Peacock in the United States, making it the most-watched Spanish-language soccer telecast in American history. Back in Mexico, the match drew an average of 35.1 million viewers across TV Azteca and Televisa, making it the most-watched domestic television broadcast this century. 

Enable functional cookies to see this feature.

To the north, Canada's run to the round of 16 has produced the highest percentage of population tuning in among the three co-host nations. Per TSN, an average of 5.3 million viewers watched Les Rouges' dominant 6–0 victory over Qatar — the country's first-ever men's World Cup win — with 11.7 million tuning in at some point, representing approximately 27% of Canada's total population.

With all three host nations hoping to advance to the quarterfinals and beyond, broadcast figures are expected to climb even higher.