The joy and entertainment that the World Cup has delivered in a broad way has been reflected in staggering viewership numbers for its broadcast partners.

The FIFA World Cup tournament barreled into North America this year amid a tide of nativism, political polarization in the U.S. and the usual uncertainty over how well the quadrennial men's soccer championship would play with American sports fans — especially as this year's 39-day competition collided directly with the America 250 celebrations.

As the knockout rounds of the World Cup begin, Fox and Telemundo can be crowned as two of the biggest winners off the field.

The U.S. men’s soccer team set another viewership record in its loss to Belgium, despite the lopsided 4-1 defeat. A combined total of 50.125 million viewers watched on Fox (37.225 million) and Telemundo (12.

England’s upset victory over Mexico to advance to the World Cup quarterfinals delivered nearly 22 million viewers for Fox Sports on Sunday night. Viewership of the global soccer tournament viewership stayed strong over the Independence Day holiday weekend with more than 15.

Mexico and England reportedly set a major viewership record for their World Cup Round of 16 game in the United States.

It's safe to say that the FIFA World Cup has captured the hearts and minds of America. But more importantly for the broadcasters, it's captured their eyes.

With World Cup TV ratings a hit, media and tech companies are lining up to bid on rights to 2030 and 2034. But duplicating 2026's success may prove difficult