If Team USA reaches the 2026 FIFA World Cup Final, the match could pull an NFL-like 50 million-plus viewers.
That’s the word from Fox Sports ratings guru Mike Mulvihill as World Cup fever sweeps the country. Speaking to Colin Cowherd on the host’s eponymous podcast for The Volume, Fox’s president of insights and analytics said a final between the U.S. men’s national team against soccer powerhouses Argentina, England, or France could create a perfect storm of TV ratings. The final is scheduled to take place at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium on Sunday, July 19th, at 3 p.m. ET.
“If we really allow ourselves to just think as big as possible, if the U.S. were to get to the final, the U.S in the final, Sunday afternoon, to me that’s a 50 million viewer match,” Mulvihill told Cowherd. “That’s an NFC Championship Game.”
Final viewership of 50 million viewers for the FIFA final would actually exceed audiences for both of the NFL’s conference championship games during the 2025 season.
Fox averaged 46.1 million viewers for the Seahawks’ 31-27 win over the Rams in the NFC Championship on Jan. 26. CBS Sports, meanwhile, pulled 48.6 million viewers for the Patriots’ 10-7 win over the Broncos on Jan. 25.
A loaded Team USA will play Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Round of 32 on Wednesday night. If Team USA advances to the Round of 16, Mulvihill predicted both matches could draw 30 million viewers.
“Those are both primetime windows. I think both those games can go over 30 million viewers,” Mulvihill said. “That’s comparable to the very best NFL regular season Sunday game in a given season.”
The deeper the USMNT goes, the better for Fox. Notably, the bracket currently sets up for a potential high-profile matchup between Team USA and Spain in the Round of 16.
Fox is getting its money’s worth from this year’s World Cup after paying a bargain-basement $485 million for English-Language U.S. TV rights. As he does for Fox’s NFL coverage, Mulvihill has been sharing some interesting TV tidbits. Among them:
- 84.3 million Americans have watched World Cup coverage on Fox and FS1 through leg two of the group stage.
- Team USA’s 2-0 win on Friday over Australia drew an eye-popping 90% share among male viewers 18-34 years old.
- Viewers spent 34.8 billion minutes watching the World Cup on Fox and FS1 through 40 matches Sunday night. That’s already more than 34.5 billion for the 64-match World Cup in 2022.
Meanwhile, Fox is cashing in with advertisers on Madison Avenue. If Team USA makes a deep run, Fox could get $2 million per 30-second commercial spot, sources tell Front Office Sports. With the U.S. hosting the World Cup on home soil for the first time in 30 years, Fox has capitalized on ideal time zones. During the group stage, Fox pocketed close to $1 million per spot for Team USA’s first two matches.
