FIFA World Cup Delivers Record Ratings on Fox

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U.S. versus Paraguay was by far the most watched English-language telecast of a FIFA World Cup match in the history of American TV

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 12: Folarin Balogun #20 of the United States celebrates with teammates after scoring the team's third goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group D match between USA and Paraguay at Los Angeles Stadium on June 12, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by John Dorton/USSF/Getty Images)
(Image credit: John Dorton/USSF/Getty Images)

Fox Sports is reporting record viewing for early matches in the FIFA World Cup 2026, with 15,986,000 people watching the U.S. men’s national team beat Paraguay 4-1 across Fox, Fox One and Tubi on Friday June 12.

That made it the most watched USMNT FIFA World Cup English-language telecast in U.S. history, Fox reported, beating out the 7,763,000 people who watched USMNT playing Wales on November 21, 2022.

The 2026 match audience peaked at 18,860,000 viewers at 10:45-11 p.m. ET.

It was also the most streamed English language USMNT match on record, with 1,130,000 people viewing it on Tubi.

Fox also said Mexico beating South Africa 2-0 was the most watched opening English-language FIFA World Cup telecast in U.S. history with 6,309,000 viewers. The match peaked at 8,014,000 viewers.

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George Winslow
George Winslow

George Winslow is the senior content producer for TV Tech. He has written about the television, media and technology industries for nearly 30 years for such publications as Broadcasting & Cable, Multichannel News and TV Tech. Over the years, he has edited a number of magazines, including Multichannel News International and World Screen, and moderated panels at such major industry events as NAB and MIP TV. He has published two books and dozens of encyclopedia articles on such subjects as the media, New York City history and economics.