The United States men’s national team have captured the imagination of the American people at the 2026 World Cup.
Even though soccer is not as popular as American football or basketball, tens of millions have watched the World Cup.
As well as superstars like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, viewers have also been drawn to the USMNT’s successful start.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side won their first two matches against Paraguay (4-1) and Australia (2-0), finishing top of Group D.
How far can the USA realistically go in this tournament? 🏆
The USA did lose their final group match to Turkiye (3-2) last week, but that has not dampened the supporters’ spirits.
Fox Sports’ expectations for World Cup final viewership figures if the USMNT make it there have just been revealed.
Fox Sports believes a USMNT World Cup final would rival the NFL in TV ratings
Fox Sports ratings expert Mike Mulvihill believes more than 50 million people would watch the USMNT in the World Cup final.
The final will take place on Sunday, July 19, at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, and will likely feature Brazil, Argentina, or England.
“If we really allow ourselves to just think as big as possible, if the US were to get to the final, Sunday afternoon, to me that’s a 50 million viewer match,” Mulvihill told Colin Cowherd. “That’s an NFC Championship Game.”
This would exceed the 46.1 million average viewership for the Seattle Seahawks 31-27 victory over the Los Angeles Rams in this year’s NFC Championship.
Meanwhile, Mulvihill predicts the USMNT’s round-of-32 and round-of-16 matches could have more than 30 million viewers.
“Those are both primetime windows. I think both those games can go over 30 million viewers,” Mulvihill said.
“That’s comparable to the very best NFL regular season Sunday game in a given season.”
These figures demonstrate that the United States audience has caught ‘World Cup fever’ just over two weeks into the tournament.
Football fans in the United States have already watched more of the 2026 World Cup on Fox and FS1 than during the entire 2022 World Cup.
The television network will be absolutely desperate for Pochettino’s team to reach the quarter-finals, at least.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
