WASHINGTON — Television audiences in the United States for FIFA World Cup knockout-stage matches have reached record levels this week, according to broadcaster data and industry measurements from Fox Sports and Nielsen, marking the highest recorded viewership for the tournament’s elimination rounds in U.S. media history.
Fox Sports, the English-language rights holder in the United States, said late June ratings data showed that its World Cup coverage across broadcast television and streaming platforms has drawn the largest cumulative audience ever for a Men’s World Cup group stage, with momentum continuing into the knockout phase as matches shift to prime-time windows. The company reported average viewership of just over 5 million per match across the group stage, a rise of about 92% compared with the 2022 tournament.
Industry figures cited by broadcasters also show individual U.S. matches during the tournament breaking previous national records, including the U.S. men’s national team opener against Paraguay, which drew about 27.5 million combined viewers across English- and Spanish-language broadcasts on Fox and Telemundo, according to Nielsen-based measurements referenced by media tracking firms.
Fox Sports said more than 84 million people in the United States had watched at least some part of its World Cup coverage through June 25, a figure based on Nielsen’s “reach” metric, which counts viewers who tuned in for at least one minute.
Telemundo, the Spanish-language broadcaster, separately reported record-setting averages of about 7.5 million viewers across the opening phase of the tournament, more than double its comparable performance during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
The surge in audience numbers comes as knockout-round fixtures move into prime-time scheduling across U.S. time zones, increasing visibility for matches involving both the United States men’s national team and high-profile international teams.
Fox Sports executives have described the 2026 tournament as the most-watched Men’s World Cup in English-language U.S. broadcast history through its opening rounds, with digital platforms also setting streaming records across Fox’s Tubi and FS1 services.
The United States is set to continue its knockout-stage campaign later this week, with matches carried on Fox and FS1 in English and Telemundo in Spanish, as broadcasters monitor whether viewership levels continue to rise deeper into the elimination rounds.
