Figures reveal that viewership remained strong even after the USA were eliminated from tournament.
Nearly 63 million Americans tuned in to watch Spain beat Argentina in the FIFA World Cup final on Sunday, shattering viewership records and underscoring football’s growing appeal in the United States after decades of efforts to broaden its audience.
Held in New Jersey, the final remained scoreless until Spain broke through in the 106th minute to secure a 1-0 victory in extra time.
Fox’s English-language broadcast attracted 38.9 million viewers while Comcast’s Telemundo TV network and Peacock streaming platform pulled in another 23.9 million viewers for the Spanish-language coverage, the companies said. The combined audience far exceeded the 22.3 million US viewers who watched the 2022 World Cup final in Qatar.
The strong viewership capped what analysts said was a solid run for the tournament’s broadcasters with Fox and Comcast paying roughly $485m and $600m, respectively, for rights packages that included the World Cup, according to media reports.
Several knockout-stage matches also outperformed recent championship games in other major US sports.
The next World Cup will be cohosted by Spain, Portugal and Morocco in 2030, followed by Saudi Arabia in 2034. Both tournaments are likely to feature less favourable kickoff times for US viewers, which could weigh on future ratings.
