Spain's World Cup Final Shatters U.S. TV Viewership Records

On July 19, Spain triumphed over Argentina 1-0 in the FIFA World Cup 2026 final, achieving the highest viewership for a soccer broadcast in U.S. history with an average of 38.9 million viewers on Fox. When combined with Telemundo and Peacock's 23.9 million, the total audience reached 62.8 million. The previous record was 33.1 million for the 2014 U.S.-Belgium match. This final also introduced the inaugural halftime show, featuring performances by Madonna, Justin Bieber, BTS, Shakira, Burna Boy, the New York Philharmonic, and Gustavo Dudamel conducting the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra. The tournament saw an average of 7.74 million viewers, a 116% increase from 2022. Spain's domestic viewership averaged 15.7 million, while the semifinal between Argentina and England attracted 15.1 million. The third-place match between France and England garnered 13.1 million on Fox. Fox invested $485 million for the 2026 World Cup rights, with Netflix, ESPN, YouTube, and Apple as potential bidders for the next tournament.