The FIFA World Cup final drew a record U.S. audience, with nearly 63 million viewers tuning in to see Spain defeat Argentina 1-0 in New Jersey.
Fox's English-language broadcast captured 38.9 million viewers, while Comcast's Telemundo and its Peacock streaming platform added another 23.9 million for Spanish-language coverage. This combined total significantly surpassed the 22.3 million viewers for the 2022 final.
The strong ratings capped a successful tournament for broadcasters Fox and Comcast, which paid hundreds of millions for their rights packages. Several knockout-stage matches, like England versus Mexico, drew audiences that eclipsed recent championship games in baseball and basketball.
The event benefited from prime-time slots for American audiences and the potential final World Cup appearances of global stars Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. The U.S. last hosted the tournament in 1994.
New "hydration breaks" during matches created additional advertising slots, which experts say helped offset rights costs and attracted major beverage and food brands. Fox is expected to generate at least $250 million from these breaks alone.
The next World Cup will be held in Spain, Portugal, and Morocco in 2030, followed by Saudi Arabia in 2034, tournaments likely to feature less favorable U.S. kickoff times.