​The FIFA World Cup featured its two biggest games of the tournament so far on Tuesday and Wednesday, leaving some fans wondering why games — especially this week’s heartstopping semifinals — were played in the middle of the day instead of primetime slots.“They wanna grow the World Cup and have their semifinals at 2 p.m. on a Wednesday? Makes a lot of sense,” one person posted on X.It is not completely new for the World Cup to play semifinal games midweek as it seeks to maximize its viewership. The previous two World Cups in Qatar and Russia featured semifinal matinees for fans on the American continents; however, in 1994, semifinal games were in the late afternoon and evening in the middle of the week for East Coast viewers, a much more convenient time for the U.S.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementPerhaps some felt the host countries would enjoy a friendlier kickoff time again in the World Cup’s first return to the continent in 32 years. Clearly, FIFA had different priorities. One user on X pointed out a key fact — the world does not all live in one time zone.Still, it is frustrating to some North American fans who fell in love with the sport that the largest global sporting event in the world took place on their home soil and they couldn’t watch two of the biggest games because it was scheduled during a time they had to work.England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford (1) looks back as Argentina’s Enzo Fernandez (24) scores their first goal during the World Cup semifinal soccer match between England and Argentina in Atlanta, Wednesday, July 15, 2026. | Jacob KupfermanResponding to backlash, Manolo Zubiria, the World Cup’s chief tournament officer for the United States, said it was all about finding the middle ground.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementEverything was taken into account, from “the weather on site and the time back home in participating teams’ countries, to the recovery and potential travel facing players and fans. We’ve tried to basically strike the right balance,” he said.“The more people you can bring to this game around the world, the better.”A fan cries after Argentina defeated England in a World Cup semifinal soccer match, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Wednesday, July 15, 2026. | Rodrigo AbdFrance and Spain averaged 11.462 million U.S. viewers during Tuesday’s match, according to Variety. England and Argentina’s Wednesday match averaged more than 15 million U.S. viewers on Fox, a new record for semifinals English-language telecasts in U.S. history.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe England broadcast on BBC One also recorded an average viewership of 15 million, per Deadline. An average of 20 million in France watched as their country lost to Spain. Among other European nations viewing the matches, the World Cup performed quite well and FIFA should be careful to maintain those viewers.But given it was a record-breaking semifinal for U.S. viewership during working hours across the country p