• Loading stock data...
Sunday, July 6, 2025

US World Cup Opener Viewership Lags Behind Last Two Appearances

  • Fox averages 8.3 million viewers for English-language coverage.
  • Both the 2014 and 2010 openers drew more, but they were in more traditional viewing windows.
USMNT Christian Pulisic reaches for leg in pain during World Cup match against Wales
Danielle Parhizkaran-USA TODAY Sports

The U.S. men’s national team’s first match at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar drew nearly 12 million television viewers.

While it was the most streamed Group Stage match in Fox Sports history with an AMA of 563,000 viewers, overall it lagged behind the last two appearances for the Americans.

But, given the rarity of playing in the fall — and the 2 p.m. ET kickoff on a Monday — it’s not exactly an apples to apples comparison.

  • The 1-1 draw between USA and Wales averaged a combined 11.71 million viewers on Fox Sports and Telemundo Monday.
  • Fox’s English-language coverage averaged 8.3 million viewers across broadcast and digital platforms. Telemundo’s Spanish-language coverage averaged 3.4 million viewers. 
  • The match peaked at 9.4 million viewers on Fox from 3:45 p.m. to 4 p.m. ET.

Fox’s viewership trailed that for the USMNT’s opening matches at both the 2014 Brazil World Cup in (11.1M, ESPN) and 2010 South Africa World Cup (13M, ABC), noted Sports Media Watch

USMNT striker Josh Sargent heads ball towards Welsh goal during World Cup match

Fox Catching Flak For Tone-Deaf World Cup Coverage

Network’s early World Cup coverage ignores Qatar’s human rights record.
November 21, 2022

Those matches not only took place in the traditional summer months, but the 2014 opener was later in the day and the 2010 opener was on a Sunday.

Still, Fox said the first three-match average of 4,026,000 was up 193% from the first three matches of 2018.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

NBA Draft Ratings Fall 14.5% Despite Early Cooper Flagg Lift

3.77 million viewers watched across ESPN and ABC.
December 30, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Detroit Lions during the second quarter at Levi's Stadium.

California Finds Money for World Cup, but 49ers Remain Tens of Millions..

The NFL team promised to cover costs of games at their stadium.

Amazon NASCAR Ratings Down 17%, but Skew Younger

Prime Video averaged 2.16 million per race during its five-event stretch.

Broadcasting With Benefits: Networks Gaining League Equity Is Now the Norm

ESPN gained an equity stake in the PLL as part of a rights deal.

Featured Today

American Celebs Want to Be Sports Owners. Soccer Is Where They Start

As U.S. team prices climb, investors set their sights abroad.
July 5, 2025

Baseball’s Celebrity Row: Behind MLB’s First-Pitch Ritual

Often planned, sometimes spontaneous, the ritual throw is baseball’s celebrity row.
July 4, 2025

3,000 Hot Dogs, $20K in Prizes: Behind the Nathan’s Eating Contest

Nathan’s serves up thousands of hot dogs and $20,000 in prize money.
July 3, 2025

Geoffrey Esper Can’t Catch a Break at Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest

“Hot dogs is not one of my favorite competitions of the year.”

Paramount Settles Trump Suit Ahead of NFL Season, Skydance Merger

The deal likely allows the much larger Skydance merger deal to proceed.
June 24, 2025

Fever vs. Aces Draws 5th-Largest TV Audience of 2025 WNBA Season

ESPN will carry seven more Indiana Fever games this year.
Leo Messi
June 27, 2025

TNT, Club World Cup Ride Messi to Surprisingly Solid Debut Ratings

TNT Sports carries about a third of matches in the U.S.
Sponsored

Hottest Matchups Following NFL Schedule Release

The NFL released the 2025 regular-season schedule, and anticipation is already building in the ticket marketplace with four months to go.
June 23, 2025

NBA Finals Game 7 Is Most-Watched Since 2019, but Series Drops 9%

Game 7 drew 16.35 million viewers, the most-watched NBA game since 2019.
June 19, 2025

Pacers Force Game 7, Could Spark Big Ratings Boost for NBA Finals

Game 7 could boost NBA Finals ratings after a slow start this year.
June 17, 2025

Stanley Cup Final Delivers Drama but Struggles for Eyeballs in U.S.

U.S. viewership fell while Canadian audiences for the event rose slightly.
June 17, 2025

Streaming Tops Linear for First Time, Sports Still Key to TV’s Resilience

Streaming hits another critical milestone in an accelerating media transition.