​The World Cup Round of 16 matched the co-hosts USA against Belgium, while England took on another host nation, Mexico. The Three Lions managed to defeat Mexico 3-2, ending Mexico’s remarkable unbeaten home run and earning a spot in the quarter-finals. In contrast, Mauricio Pochettino’s side were not as fortunate, suffering a 4-1 defeat to Belgium in their Round of 16 clash. Notably, more fans tuned in to watch Belgium’s win than England’s victory, according to recent figures.
The viewing numbers were released by Front Office Sports, which reported that both games ranked as the most-watched non-NFL sporting events in the United States in the modern era. Front Office Sports stated: “USA-Belgium’s World Cup match drew 50.1 million viewers on Fox and Telemundo, while Mexico-England drew 46.7 million.” They concluded that these two World Cup matches are the most-watched non-NFL sporting events in the U.S. since the 1994 Winter Olympics. Of course, these figures do not account for viewers outside North America, where a significant portion of England’s fan base would have watched the matches.
Nonetheless, the data underscores a growing appetite for soccer in the United States, a trend bolster by the World Cup’s presence and coverage. It will be interesting to see whether this spike in viewership continues into the 2026 World Cup final, scheduled to take place on Sunday, July 19.
On a broader scale, while the latest Super Bowl is estimated to have drawn around 125.6 million viewers, the global soccer showcase is anticipated to surpass that figure with relative ease. In total, it is estimated that about 2.87 billion people watched at least one minute of the 2022 World Cup, with approximately 2.21 billion viewers staying for 20 minutes or longer. These numbers reflect the enduring appeal of the World Cup and its capacity to captivate audiences around the world.