There is certainly some sadness across Fox and Telemundo following this week’s abrupt exits of the U.S. and Mexican teams from the FIFA men’s World Cup. Both networks, however, have already reaped many of the rewards from the 2026 tournament’s sharply elevated trajectory and remain in strong shape heading into the event’s final days.
The U.S. men’s national team’s World Cup run came to an ugly end Monday night with a convincing 4–1 loss to Belgium in the round of 16. That followed the Mexican team’s loss to England in the same round Sunday, and took away Fox’s and Telemundo’s two biggest viewership draws. The U.S. loss, in particular, prompted an unusual plea to viewers from Fox announcer John Strong to not abandon the rest of the World Cup or soccer in general.
“This doesn’t have to be the last soccer you watch for the next four years,” Strong said.
Even if that were to happen, Fox and Telemundo have already banked much of the upside from a 2026 World Cup that has seen unprecedented viewership in the group stage, and then a record-setting match in the round of 32.
Among the key factors:
- While the World Cup’s deciding contests still haven’t happened, the tournament is almost done from a volume standpoint. After Tuesday’s completion of the round of 16, 96 of the World Cup’s scheduled 104 matches will have been played. Many of the aggregate viewership gains for both networks were already achieved in the group stage, and will fuel a significant overall increase once final audience figures arrive later this month.
- Industry sources suggested Fox and Telemundo conservatively modeled for the U.S. and Mexican teams—by far the two biggest draws for the networks, respectively—to reach the round of 32, with anything beyond that representing something of a bonus.
- Ad sales are certainly a vital component of the revenue model for both networks. So, too, are broadcast retransmission fees, which are paid by pay-TV operators regardless of what teams advance in the tournament.
- While the Mexican team is now out of the tournament, other sizable viewership draws for Telemundo, such as Spain, Argentina, and Colombia, remain alive as of Tuesday morning.
“It’s really mission accomplished for Fox and Telemundo,” Crakes Media president Patrick Crakes tells Front Office Sports. “How you do in the early rounds has a lot to do with where you net out on the budget, and I think they’re in great shape. And when the next quarterly earnings come out for both of their parent companies, that will be reflected.
“The other thing to remember is that while ad sales are variable and important, this World Cup has been paid for in a large respect by traditional pay TV and the retransmission fees paid by the distributors. That’s been crucial for both networks,” Crakes said.
