World Cup 2026 Sets Records in US Viewership and Attendance

The 2026 FIFA World Cup has delivered high ratings and attendance in the US, despite initial concerns about the tournament's reception. The USA-Belgium match in the round of 16 drew a combined audience of 50.1 million viewers on Fox and Telemundo, the largest soccer audience ever recorded in the US. The Mexico-England match also pulled in 46.7 million US viewers.

The tournament has seen high attendance, with 6,259,584 fans attending matches through the round of 16, filling 99.7% of seats with an average crowd of 65,204. Over 7.7 million fans have also attended FIFA Fan Festivals across the three host countries.

The gameplay has been intense, with England surviving Norway 2-1 and defending champion Argentina spending the knockout rounds flirting with disaster. France's Kylian Mbappé and Argentina's Lionel Messi are tied atop the Golden Boot race with eight goals each.

The US national team's tournament ended in disappointment, with the team getting routed by Belgium. The final game was also marred by controversy over Folarin Balogun's red-card saga, which led to a global backlash over favoritism and political meddling.