USA-England World Cup Match Draws Record U.S. Viewership for Mens Soccer Game

The USA vs. England World Cup game that ended in a 0-0 draw was a big draw for Fox Sports on Friday, pulling in more than 15.3 million viewers to a set a record for the most-watched mens soccer match on U.S. television.

The USA vs. England World Cup game that ended in a 0-0 draw was a big draw for Fox Sports on Friday, pulling in more than 15.3 million viewers to a set a record for the most-watched men’s soccer match on U.S. television.

Viewership of the 90-minute battle peaked from 3:30 p.m.-3:45 p.m. ET with 19.64 million viewers. The game’s average was strong enough to beat the previous record holder of 14.51 million who tuned in to see Brazil defeat Italy in the 1994 World Cup that was held in the U.S.

Fox Sports asserted that viewership was also up significantly compared to the comparable USA game at this stage of the World Cup tournament in 2014, when the U.S. team faced off against Portugal. That game, carried by ESPN, averaged 13.77 million viewers for the game itself per Fox, although it was widely reported in 2014 as 18.2 milion. The audience figure grew to 24.7 million when about 6 million viewers from Univision’s Spanish-language coverage were factored in.

Related Stories

Two race cars side by side, with one car representing Netflix and the other representing YouTube VIP+

Netflix vs. YouTube: The Post-Streaming Wars Era’s Archrivalry

L-R: Kelsey Grammer as Frasier, Edward Hibbert as Gil, Dan Butler as Bulldog, and Peri Gilpin as Roz in Frasier, episode 8, season 2 streaming on Paramount+, 2024. Photo credit: Chris Haston/Paramount+

The ‘Frasier’ Reboot Returns: Here's How to Watch the New Season Online

This time around, 2022 World Cup rights have been a massive investment for Telemundo and Fox Sports.

Popular on Variety

Fox Sports noted that the top local markets tuning in to see Team USA fend off England were Kansas City, with an 8.5 household rating and 26 share; Hartford, Conn. (8.3/27); Boston (8.0/25); Dallas (8.0/28) and Washington, D.C. (7.9/28).

The World Cup tournament, which began Nov. 20 and runs through Dec. 18, opened amid some controversy this year because of the FIFA soccer organization’s decision to locate the event in Qatar. That meant shifting to a winter schedule from its traditional mid-summer timetable to accomodate scorching summer temperatures in the region. The questionable status of women in the regional and other fundamental human rights concerns have cast a shadow over the world’s biggest sporting event. Undoutbedly, Fox Sports was happy to see a solid turnout for Team USA in action over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

Read More About:

Jump to Comments

More from Variety

Most Popular

Must Read

Sign Up for Variety Newsletters

By providing your information, you agree to our Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy.We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services. // This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Variety Confidential

A Variety and iHeartRadio Podcast

ncG1vNJzZmiukae2psDYZ5qopV9nfXN%2BjqynqKqkqHyvsdasZq6rkWKyr7PLmqWdZaekv62wjJysqWWilsGqusasZGptXaK2rbjIqKVmaWJognWAkW5wa2c%3D

 Share!