​MIAMI (AP) — Ashleigh Hallam teaches English as a second language at her local Indiana library, but these days soccer is teaching her Spanish as a second language. For Hallam, this World Cup has arrived at a moment that feels almost tailor-made for her circumstances.
She’s among a sizable slice of English-speaking Americans who are doing something that might strike some as unusual: watching World Cup broadcasts in Spanish on Telemundo, even though they often don’t understand much of what the announcers are saying. “I can’t really understand everything they’re saying on Telemundo because they’re speaking Spanish,” Hallam said, smiling. “But you understand what’s going on.”
The math behind the trend is straightforward. Census data show about 20 percent of the U.S. population is Hispanic, yet Telemundo highlights Nielsen ratings that indicate roughly half of the World Cup viewers in the United States have watched at least portions of some matches in Spanish. Every game of the tournament has been accessible to U.S. audiences in English on Fox or FS1, in Spanish on Telemundo or Universo, and through streaming options such as Fox One or Peacock.
Several recurring reasons emerge from conversations with viewers over the past days: a fascination with the famed broadcaster Andrés Cantor’s emphatic “¡gooooool!” call; Telemundo’s approach of not breaking to commercials during hydration breaks (unlike Fox, which does); and a perception that the Telemundo feeds are simply more entertaining to some. For others, it’s a cost consideration: Peacock, which includes Telemundo, often comes with a lower price than Fox One.
Jackson Braunius, a Michigan native who caught a U.S. game last week from a Miami Lakes steakhouse bar, said he speaks almost no Spanish—“I know ‘cerveza,’” he joked, tapping his beer—but he didn’t mind watching on Telemundo at all. “I figured out the science here,” he explained. “When they’re not talking too loud, nothing is happening. When they get loud, there’s a chance. When they get real loud, it’s probably going to be a goal.”
The trend isn’t limited to everyday fans. Comedian Trevor Noah has been hosting World Cup watch parties on YouTube and has switched to Spanish-language feeds, citing the hydration-break coverage as a major factor. “We’re seeing the players on the pitch discussing what’s happening. You see which coach is more stressed. Some players are tapping each other on the back. This is part of the game,” Noah said on one of his YouTube streams. “I feel like when you cut to ads, you lose this — you lose the stress, you lose the joy, the anticipation. So, shout out again, Telemundo: Really, really amazing coverage.”
Telemundo has acknowledged the praise, thanking not only English-speaking viewers but also Noah directly for highlighting its coverage. The bigger picture is clear: there seems to be more than enough audience to sustains diverse viewing options and, perhaps, to improve search optimization as well. The World Cup’s Spanish-language broadcasts are drawing in a broad spectrum of fans, some of whom are simply curious linguistically, some who are bilingual, and many who are exploring new ways to experience the game they love.