If the viewership for the opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup is any indication, Fox and Telemundo are about to break some serious records for this year’s tournament.
The tournament kicked off Thursday with the opening match, a 2-0 Mexico victory over South Africa. According to Fox, that match garnered an average audience of 6.3 million viewers across Fox, Fox One and Tubi. That makes it the most-watched English-language U.S. telecast of a FIFA World Cup opening match ever.
That viewership was up 97% from Fox’s average non-USMNT group-stage telecast in 2022, peaking with just over 8 million viewers during the 4:15 p.m. ET quarter-hour.
That’s also the largest English-language audience in U.S. history for a non-USMNT group-stage telecast at the World Cup.
Meanwhile, Telemundo posted even gaudier numbers, announcing an average audience of 12.1 million viewers across Telemundo, Universo, and Peacock for the Mexico-South Africa match. That makes it the most-watched Spanish-language FIFA World Cup opening game ever and the most-watched regardless of language. It was also the most-streamed World Cup Mexico match and most-streamed Group Stage match in Spanish-language history.
As always, it is important to note that this is the first FIFA Men’s World Cup to be measured using Nielsen’s new Big Data + Panel standard, which typically increases live sports audiences compared to prior years, though it doesn’t always account for all viewership gains.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.