USMNT MATCH DRAWS 33.5 MILLION VIEWERS, MOST-WATCHED FOOTBALL BROADCAST IN US

The United States men's national team's victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina in the World Cup drew a record television audience in the United States, according to preliminary reports from Fox Sports and Telemundo. Fox reported an average of 24.429 million viewers for the English-language broadcast, described as the most-watched English-language football broadcast in US history by the broadcaster. Telemundo reported 9.1 million viewers for the Spanish-language coverage. The combined total exceeded 33 million viewers.

According to data compiled by Sportico, only twelve television broadcasts in the United States exceeded the 33-million-viewer mark in the previous year, comprising seven National Football League playoff games, the Super Bowl and the State of the Union address. The National Basketball Association Finals between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs averaged 20.5 million viewers, with individual games reaching peaks of 33 million. The previous World Series final averaged 27.3 million viewers across the United States. Sunday Night Football averaged 23.5 million viewers in its most recent season.

The audience figures mark a significant increase compared with previous World Cup tournaments held outside North America. The 2022 World Cup final between Argentina and France drew 25.8 million viewers across both broadcasters combined. The United States' group-stage match against England in that tournament attracted 19.9 million viewers, whilst their last-sixteen match against the Netherlands drew 16.5 million. Fox Sports and Telemundo attributed increased viewership this year to the North American host location, prominent player talent and convenient kick-off times for US viewers.