Belgium Beats US in Record‑Breaking World Cup Telecast

Belgium United States World Cup record viewership Fox

Belgium defeated the United States 4‑1 in the Round of 16 at Seattle Stadium, eliminating the co‑host nation from the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The match set a new U.S. viewership record for soccer, with Fox reporting an average audience of about 33 million and a peak of over 36 million viewers.

The broadcast surpassed the previous record set against Bosnia‑Herzegovina and also eclipsed earlier tournament highs, including the Portugal‑Croatia match, which became the most‑watched English‑language World Cup game not involving the U.S. The strong ratings contributed to Fox’s overall Round of 16 average of 14.5 million viewers, a 216 % increase over the 2022 tournament, and helped Telemundo achieve record Spanish‑language day‑time audiences.

Sources

U. S. -Belgium World Cup Match Becomes Most-Watched Soccer Telecast In U. S. History [dallasexpress.com]

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USMNT’s World Cup Exit Scores Historic Ratings With 33M Viewers – Update [ca.sports.yahoo.com]

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USMNT finale among most-watched non-NFL sportscasts [www.sportsmediawatch.com]

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U. S. World Cup Loss to Belgium Averages 33. 1 Million Viewers, the Most-Watched Soccer Telecast in U. S. History [variety.com]

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