The FIFA World Cup tournament barreled into North America this year amid a tide of nativism, political polarization in the U.S. and the usual uncertainty over how well the quadrennial men's soccer championship would play with American sports fans — especially as this year's 39-day competition collided directly with the America 250 celebrations.

It rewrote domestic viewership records once again.

FIFA World Cup 2026™ Group Stage Averages a Total Audience Delivery of 4.6 million viewers in Spanish, Up 122% vs. 2022 Group Stage

Fox and Telemundo, the English-language and Spanish-language broadcasters of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, respectively, are putting up eye-popping numbers for the tournament. Through the group stage, the two networks are combining to average 9.

The game peaked at 31.883 million viewers between 9:45 and 10 p.m. ET, as it was coming to an end. Per Fox, the number makes the match the most-watched English-language soccer telecast in U.S. history.

The United States men's national team made broadcast history during its first FIFA World Cup knockout-round win in 24 years.

This puts it on track to become the highest total audience ever for a soccer match in U.S. Spanish-language media history.