The 2026 FIFA World Cup has opened with record-breaking television audiences, signaling what could become one of the most-watched tournaments in football history.
The opening group stage match between Mexico and South Africa drew an average of 6.31 million viewers on FOX, according to preliminary Nielsen fast-national data combined with Adobe Analytics and streaming figures from Fox’s Tubi platform. This marks the largest English-language audience ever recorded for a World Cup opening match.
The match, played at Mexico City Stadium, also peaked at 8.01 million viewers during a key 15-minute window in the first half. The strong numbers underline the growing global and particularly North American interest in the tournament, which is being staged across the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
Although Spanish-language figures from Telemundo have not yet been released, early data suggests overall audiences are significantly higher when combined across platforms and languages.
Beyond the opening fixture, early indicators suggest momentum is already building. The United States men’s national team friendly against Germany prior to the tournament averaged 1.47 million viewers on TNT Sports, making it the most-watched U.S. men’s friendly in English-language broadcast history. The match peaked at 1.9 million viewers, surpassing previous benchmarks for international friendlies in the current World Cup cycle.
The rising numbers reflect a broader trend ahead of the first World Cup hosted on American soil since 1994. Interest in the U.S. team, in particular, has begun to surge, with upcoming primetime fixtures expected to push ratings even higher.
With early viewership already setting records and key matches still ahead, broadcasters and analysts expect this World Cup to challenge all-time global audience benchmarks by the time the tournament reaches its final stages.