The FIFA World Cup 2026 is setting new milestones for English-language television viewership in the U.S. The recent semifinal match between Spain and France drew an average of 11.462 million viewers on Fox, making it the most-watched FIFA Men’s World Cup semifinal broadcast in U.S. history for English-language TV.
This landmark audience witnessed Spain defeating France to secure a spot in the finals scheduled for this Sunday. However, this record might soon be surpassed, as the ongoing semifinal clash between England and Argentina in Atlanta could potentially attract more than Tuesday’s 11.462 million viewers.
During the Spain-France game in Dallas, Texas, Spain emerged victorious with a 2-0 win over the favored French team. The goals were scored by Mikel Oyarzabal from a penalty and Pedro Porro. This victory marks Spain’s first return to the World Cup finals since 2010. The viewership reached its peak at 4:45 p.m. ET, with an average of 15.560 million viewers tuning in.
Previously, the highest viewership for a FIFA Men’s World Cup semifinal in U.S. English-language TV was recorded during the France-Morocco match in 2022, with 6.595 million viewers on Fox. This year’s semifinal broadcast viewership increased by 76% compared to the 2022 average of 6.531 million viewers on Fox.
This World Cup has broken records for both Fox and Telemundo in the U.S. Fox’s coverage of the recent match between the U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team and Belgium on Monday, July 6, attracted 33,086,000 viewers, setting a record as the most-watched soccer telecast in U.S. history.
For Telemundo, the July 5 match between Mexico and England became the most-watched telecast ever on Spanish-language TV in the U.S., based on NBCUniversal research.
