USMNT manager Mauricio Pochettino consoles Chris Richards after the team's World Cup loss to Belgium, a game that peaked on Fox with more than 41 million viewers. Steven Bisig / Imagn ImagesJuly 9, 2026 10:50 pm EDT Updated In the final audience totals delivered by Nielsen, the United States’ loss to Belgium in the round of 16 of the World Cup delivered the most-watched soccer telecast on one network in U.S. history, with more than 33 million people tuned in to watch the English-language broadcast on Fox.Monday’s U.S.-Belgium game followed the previous day’s thriller between England and Mexico that drove its own massive U.S. TV audience, including 21.7 million on Fox and 23.2 million on Telemundo.The U.S.-Belgium game peaked on Fox during its second half with more than 41 million viewers.
Ratings for the USMNT throughout the World Cup have been superlative, with the round-of-32 game versus Bosnia delivering 26.395 million viewers on Fox, making it — for at least a few days — the most-watched English-language soccer broadcast in U.S. history. Group stage games included then-record-breaking English-language audiences for U.S.-Paraguay (18.039 million viewers on Fox), with U.S.-Turkey close behind (17.015 million viewers on Fox).The World Cup in the U.S. continues on Fox and Telemundo, with three quarterfinal matches across Friday and Saturday, followed by the highly anticipated semifinals next week and the World Cup final July 19.Without the U.S. or Mexico playing, U.S. TV records might not fall over the next week. But with phrases like “most-watched ever” coming up constantly and consistently over the past month, the 2026 tournament has secured a prominent place in U.S. sports TV ratings history.Jul 10, 2026Connections: Sports EditionSpot the pattern. Connect the termsFind the hidden link between sports terms
