There are a lot of things that could have gone wrong during this summer’s FIFA World Cup, a complicated logistical undertaking that included three host nations, 16 stadiums, 48 teams, 104 games and endless opportunities for controversy on and off the soccer field.
But in retrospect, a lot of things went right, including record viewership numbers for Spain‘s 1-0 win over Argentina in Sunday’s final.
The United States, Canada and Mexico spent nearly six weeks hosting soccer’s biggest showcase, and for the most part, the action stayed on the field.
Fox announced Tuesday that the Spain-Argentina final drew 38.937 million viewers, including a peak of 51.685 million, which easily set the record as the most-watched English-language soccer telecast in U.S. history, according to Nielsen Media Research.
Telemundo’s preliminary numbers for its Spanish-language broadcast indicated the game had a total audience of 22.6 million, putting the total number of viewers in the U.S. at more than 60 million.
Star players such as Argentina’s Lionel Messi, France‘s Kylian Mbappé and Norway‘s Erling Haaland became household names across North America. Television ratings remained high in the U.S., even after the U.S. was eliminated. And despite high ticket prices, most games featured packed stadiums.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino gave effusive praise to the host countries Sunday.
Fox broadcast all 104 contests in English on its platforms, and American viewership remained strong even after the U.S. was eliminated by Belgium in the round of 16.
Spanish broadcasts on Telemundo also were a popular option, even for non-native speakers.
Fox averaged 7.737 million viewers for the 104 broadcasts on Fox, FS1 and Tubi — up from 3.588 million in 2022 and 2.77 million in 2018.
Though Nielsen’s viewership numbers give a window into the World Cup final’s widespread popularity, it’s a challenge to reflect how many people actually watched since some viewed the game in group settings such as watch parties. In 2025, Nielsen expanded its out-of-home measurement system to try to get a more accurate count.
Despite a few early hiccups, stadium attendance also was strong throughout the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
“We have had a record number of spectators in the stadiums, almost 7 million,” Infantino said. “We will have had, I mean the official figures will come out soon, but probably over 6 billion people watching it from home.”
This year’s 48-team World Cup field was the biggest in the tournament’s history.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
