Fox’s English-language telecast of the United States’ Round of 16 match against Belgium drew an average of 30 million viewers on Monday night setting a new record for the most-watched soccer broadcast in U.S. history. Another 12 million viewers tuned into the Spanish-language broadcast on Comcast’s Telemundo and Peacock streaming service.
The lopsided 4-1 loss to Belgium at Lumen Field in Seattle eliminated the U.S. Men’s National Team from the 2026 FIFA World Cup, ending American hopes for a deep home-tournament run despite strong group-stage momentum. Early Nielsen data showed the Fox broadcast peaking at nearly 37 million viewers, surpassing the previous English-language record set by the U.S. victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina (final average of 26.4 million on Fox).
Belgium dominated early and often, with Charles De Ketelaere scoring twice and assisting another goal, while Romelu Lukaku added the fourth. The U.S. managed one goal in a match that exposed defensive vulnerabilities and left fans and analysts calling the performance a major letdown.
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The record audience underscores surging U.S. interest in soccer during the home World Cup, with Fox and partners seeing massive engagement as the tournament advances into knockout stages. This figure ranks among the decade’s biggest U.S. sports broadcasts outside the NFL.
Despite the on-field exit, the high viewership highlights growing popularity of the sport and the USMNT’s ability to captivate national attention even in defeat.