The FIFA men’s World Cup is attracting significant television audiences, with out-of-home viewership playing a key role. This includes large-scale watch parties and viewing at bars across the United States. This trend has been a critical factor in the tournament’s unprecedented viewership figures observed so far.
During the group stage, Fox saw its English-language World Cup audience increase by 92% compared to 2022, reaching an average of 5.05 million viewers. Similarly, Telemundo‘s Spanish-language viewership rose by 122%, averaging 4.6 million viewers. These figures highlight the substantial growth in audience engagement for the tournament.
Impact of Out-of-Home Viewership
Out-of-home viewership accounts for approximately 25% of each network’s total audience, according to Nielsen data. This percentage can vary for individual matches, sometimes nearing 40%, and has consistently been among the strongest figures for U.S. television programming. Nielsen Senior Vice President Brian Fuhrer noted that nearly every bar shows a game, which has significantly impacted viewership.
Nielsen expanded its out-of-home audience measurement to cover the entire U.S., including more remote and rural areas, early last year. This expansion means the current World Cup is the first iteration of the tournament to fully reflect the impact of this enlarged measurement. Before 2020, out-of-home measurements were not part of official Nielsen figures, leading to concerns that significant portions of group viewing were being overlooked.
With these audiences now fully included in Nielsen measurements, both Fox and Telemundo have actively promoted World Cup watch parties. This strategic focus aims to capitalize on the communal viewing experience that is inherent to sports fandom.
Record-Breaking Group Stage Performance
FOX Sports has reported a list of historic audience highlights from the group stage of the FIFA World Cup 2026. The group stage, which included 72 matches across FOX, FS1, and Tubi, averaged 5,052,000 viewers. This represents a 92% increase compared to 2022, making it the most-watched FIFA Men’s World Cup group stage telecast average in English-language U.S. history.
Michael Mulvihill, FOX Sports President, Insight & Analytics, stated that the 2026 FIFA World Cup has been an overwhelming success. He highlighted that over 90 million Americans have tuned in to FOX Sports, often watching together in various settings such as family rooms, bars, restaurants, parks, and fan fests. Mulvihill emphasized the unifying power of sports, particularly during this summer’s America 250 celebrations.
The U.S. Men’s National Team (USMNT) set a record-breaking pace during the group stage, achieving the top three most-watched USMNT FIFA World Cup telecasts in English-language U.S. history, according to Nielsen Media Research. The match against Paraguay was the most-watched, drawing 18,039,000 viewers. This was followed by the match against Türkiye with 17,020,000 viewers, and then the match against Australia, which garnered 16,218,000 viewers.
Beyond the USMNT, the Brazil-Morocco match was the most-watched non-USMNT match during the group stage, attracting 10,020,000 viewers. This made it the most-watched non-USMNT FIFA Men’s World Cup group stage telecast in English-language U.S. history. Additionally, the 2-2 draw between Cabo Verde and Uruguay garnered 6,183,000 viewers, making it the most-watched soccer match in FS1 history, peaking at 8,428,000 viewers.
The group stage also marked a significant achievement for FOX Sports Digital, recording an all-time high of 4.53 billion views across its digital and social platforms. This made it the most socially viewed event in FOX Sports history. The FIFA World Cup 2026 coverage contributed to five of the top 10 most-viewed days on social in FOX Sports Digital history and attracted nearly five million new followers across social platforms.
The FIFA World Cup 2026 Pregame show on FOX, FS1, and Tubi also performed well, delighting fans with an average of 2,287,000 viewers through the group stage. This represents a 142% increase from 2022. The program FIFA WORLD CUP ON FOX AFTER HOURS WITH JAMES CORDEN ranked highly among broadcast late-night talk shows in key demographics, tying for No. 1 in M18-34 and ranking No. 2 in both M18-49 and M25-54.
Upcoming Matches and Expectations
The upcoming week is anticipated to generate even larger numbers for Fox and Telemundo. Mexico, which is the most popular World Cup team among Telemundo viewers in the U.S., is scheduled to play a round-of-16 match against England on Sunday. This match is expected to be a classic encounter.
The U.S. men’s national team will also have a round-of-16 clash against Belgium on Monday. Both of these upcoming matches will air in primetime and are well-positioned to attract audiences comparable to those seen for NFL games. The FIFA World Cup 2026 will present all 104 tournament matches live across FOX and FS1, with every match streaming in 4K live and on-demand on FOX One.
This edition of the global showcase is the largest ever, hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada. It features 48 teams playing 104 matches across 16 host cities, with eleven cities in the U.S. hosting the tournament, including Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York New Jersey, Philadelphia, Seattle, and the San Francisco Bay Area.
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Source: frontofficesports.com
