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The United States men’s national team’s defeat to Belgium in the World Cup round of 16 on Monday left fans disappointed, yet it also set new domestic viewership records. Nielsen’s preliminary data, released on Tuesday, shows the match drew about 30 million viewers on Fox, a figure that far surpassed the Americans’ round-of-32 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina from the previous Wednesday, which attracted 24.429 million and stood as the most-watched English-language soccer broadcast in the U.S. for five days. The peak audience for Belgium’s 4-1 win over the U.S. reached 36.895 million viewers during the 9:15-9:30 p.m. ET window.
That 30 million moment surpassed a number of high-profile U.S. sporting events from the past year, including the New York Knicks’ decisive Game 5 triumph over the San Antonio Spurs with 24.5 million viewers and the 2025 World Series Game 7, where the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Toronto Blue Jays with 26 million viewers. The clash between Indiana and Miami in the College Football Playoff national title game narrowly eclipsed the U.S.-Belgium match with 30.1 million viewers. When you add the 12 million viewers on Spanish-language Telemundo, the total audience for the game averages around 42 million viewers.
This matchup marked the final U.S. contest fans will view in this tournament in which the nation is co-hosting. Malik Tillman opened the scoring with a free-kick, yet Belgium’s Charles De Ketelaere delivered a first-half brace, followed by a pair of goals after halftime as Belgium extended their lead. The game’s significance extended beyond the scoreboard, highlighting how international soccer events are drawing larger nationwide audiences and underscoring the ongoing appetite for high-stakes, globally contested sports here in the United States.