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The opening matches of the 2026 FIFA World Cup have delivered record-breaking television audiences in the United States, underlining the commercial and broadcasting benefits of hosting the tournament on home soil. Strong viewership across English and Spanish-language networks has boosted broadcasters’ confidence in the value of their FIFA rights, while also drawing attention to new advertising opportunities and the challenges they may create for the viewing experience, UK-based sports industry-dedicated news website sportspro.com reported yesterday.
The 2026 edition of the World Cup involving the beautiful game is being hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico. It is a record-breaking 39 days long tournament — from June 11 to July 19 — featuring an expanded 48-team format and a total of 104 matches.
The United States’ opening match against Paraguay, according to Sportspro.com, attracted nearly 25 million viewers across the country. (https://www.sportspro.com/news/broadcast-ott/fifa-world-cup-2026-fox-telemondo-us-ratings-viewership-advertising-june-2026/)
Fox’s English-language coverage averaged 15.99 million viewers across the Fox network, the Fox One direct-to-consumer streaming service, and the Tubi free ad-supported television platform. Peak viewership reached 18.86 million, while Tubi recorded an average minute audience of 1.13 million.
On the Spanish-language side, Telemundo averaged 8.9 million viewers across its linear and digital platforms, setting a new record for a US men’s World Cup match broadcast in Spanish.
Audience figures were significantly higher than those recorded during the US men’s team’s opening game at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, when the 1-1 draw with Wales attracted 7.76 million viewers on Fox and 3.5 million on Telemundo.
The increase reflects heightened public interest in a home World Cup, as well as the advantage of prime-time scheduling without the time-zone challenges that affected viewing in Qatar.
The audience success represents an important commercial boost for Fox, which is covering the final World Cup under its current FIFA media rights agreement, the Sportspro.com report stated.
The broadcaster is also benefiting from FIFA’s newly introduced hydration-break advertising opportunities, although its coverage came under scrutiny after commercials during a stoppage caused a delayed return to live action.
