​England’s upset over Mexico to reach the World Cup quarterfinals drew nearly 22 million viewers for Fox Sports on Sunday night. The global soccer tournament maintained strong viewership during the Independence Day holiday weekend, with more than 15.5 million people watching Friday’s dramatic match that nearly saw a surprise Argentina defeat by small Cabo Verde.
On Sunday, England’s knockout victory over Mexico attracted 21.7 million viewers on Fox Sports, marking it the most-watched World Cup telecast in U.S. history for a match that did not involve Team USA. The peak came in the final 15 minutes, when 25.7 million viewers were tuned in. The Argentina-Cabo Verde clash on July 3 reached a peak audience of 22.958 million between 8:30 and 8:45 p.m. Eastern Time. Argentina had taken the lead within minutes of extra time, but Cabo Verde answered back to force a tie in a tightly contested contest. This year’s tournament marks Cabo Verde’s first appearance at the World Cup.
In other action, the Colombia-Ghana match averaged 10.387 million viewers, with Colombia securing a 1-0 victory for their second-ever World Cup knockout-stage win and their first since 2014 in Brazil. The Australia-Egypt game drew an average audience of 8.849 million, as Egypt advanced to the knockout stage after beating Australia 4-2 in a penalty shootout. Egypt’s appearance marks only their fourth World Cup participation and their first since 2018 in Russia.
Overall, the World Cup round of 32 averaged 9.548 million viewers across Fox and Fox Sports 1, a 262% increase from the group-stage telecast average of the 2022 World Cup on Fox and Fox Sports 1 (2.638 million viewers). The coverage resumes Thursday with France versus Morocco at 4 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. PT. Spain takes on Belgium at 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT on Friday at Los Angeles Stadium in Los Angeles. The quarterfinals will feature Norway versus England and Argentina versus Switzerland on Saturday. (Pictured: England player Harry Kane)
In other notes, Variety highlights notable items such as Rosie O’Donnell reacting to Trump’s World Cup intervention and AI video, David Beckham and U2 partnering with Street Child United on a charity short film to air during the final World Cup games, and Lionel Messi memorabilia being autographed online as the Argentine star leads his team toward the quarterfinals. For fans eager for more, the publication also offers a look back at the best of Variety, with a reminder to sign up for the newsletter and follow Variety on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for the latest updates.