The U.S. men's soccer team achieved a historic milestone on July 1 during their FIFA World Cup 2026 match against Bosnia and Herzegovina, averaging 24.43 million viewers, according to preliminary Nielsen numbers. This victory marks their first knockout stage win in 24 years and sets a new record for soccer viewership in the United States.
Historic Ratings for Soccer in America
The 24.43 million viewers includes pre-match coverage, surpassing the previous record of 22.32 million set during the 2015 women's World Cup final between the U.S. and Japan. The match alone attracted 25.4 million viewers during the 2015 final, demonstrating a significant growth in interest for soccer in the U.S.
Adding to this achievement, Telemundo and Peacock reported an additional 9.1 million viewers for the Spanish-language broadcast of the match. This brings the combined total to an impressive 33.53 million viewers, shattering the previous U.S. record of 26.7 million viewers for both the 2015 women's final and the 2014 men's final between Germany and Argentina.
Record-Breaking Viewership Trends
On Tuesday, Telemundo and Peacock set a new Spanish-language record with 18.9 million viewers for Mexico's 2-0 victory over Ecuador, with more than half of that number (9.7 million) coming from streaming. Fox's English-language broadcast of that match attracted 10.43 million viewers, leading to a combined total of 29.33 million viewers.
