Sunday’s FIFA World Cup final shattered records, drawing 61.5 million viewers across Fox, Telemundo, and Peacock as Spain defeated Argentina to win the 2026 title — becoming the most-watched soccer match in U.S. television history. Fox’s English-language broadcast delivered 38.9 million viewers, peaking at 51.7 million between 5:45-6 p.m. ET.
Spanish-language coverage on Telemundo and Peacock added 22.6 million viewers (preliminary), positioning it as the highest-rated World Cup final ever in Spanish-language media.
The Fox telecast surged 132% compared to the 2022 final’s 16.8 million viewers and ranked as the most-watched non-NFL program on any network since the 2016 World Series Game 7.
Spanish-language viewership on Telemundo and Peacock jumped 150% from the 9 million who tuned in for the 2022 Argentina-France final.Telemundo’s linear channel averaged 8.7 million viewers — up 56% from 5.5 million in 2022 — peaking at 11.2 million at 5:45 p.m. ET. Linear viewership accounted for less than one-third of the total Spanish-language audience.
Final official numbers for Telemundo and Peacock are expected later.
Hosting this year’s World Cup across North America fueled huge enthusiasm for watch parties that spilled far beyond the stadiums, while the convenient afternoon and evening kickoff times made it easy for fans to tune in.Nielsen’s newly revamped audience measurement system — updated last year to better capture viewing outside the living room — now more accurately reflects “out-of-home” consumption at bars, packed public screenings, and outdoor festivals, giving a clearer picture of real attention levels.
Domestic excitement for the “home” teams of Mexico, the United States, and Canada naturally drove stronger U.S. interest. Yet viewership data across all participating nations showed the tournament’s appeal had broadened significantly compared with previous World Cups.