Once every four years, fans travel across the globe to watch one of the world’s biggest sporting events: the FIFA World Cup.
The 2026 World Cup is no exception. For the first time, the tournament has been hosted jointly by three nations—the U.S., Canada and Mexico—and marks North America’s first time hosting the competition since 1994. FIFA also expanded the tournament from 32 to 48 national teams, making it the largest World Cup in history.
Across the tournament’s 16 host cities, from Kansas City to Guadalajara and Toronto, millions of fans traveled far and wide to cheer on their countries, transforming city streets into seas of brightly colored jerseys and national flags.
Millions are also watching the World Cup on TV, and audiences have continued to expand, with each marquee matchup setting a new viewership benchmark. Spain’s semifinal victory over France drew a then-record 11.46 million viewers on Fox before Argentina’s semifinal win over England surpassed it a day later with 15.06 million viewers,
As the tournament heads into its most anticipated match, the final, expectations are high that Sunday’s game could set yet another record.
