Ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, many skeptics around the world and within the sports media claimed that the United States would be a disastrous host.
That hosting the tournament under President Donald Trump would mean fewer international visitors and that the United States should not host because soccer was still a niche national sport. And surprise, surprise, it turns out those concerns were completely invalid.
Attendance broke records before the end of the group stage. Visitors came to the US from all over the world and then gave rave reviews to their hosts, stadiums and local fans. Some were even overwhelmed with emotion at the kindness they experienced in the country.
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Argentine Lionel Messi (10) next to Spain’s Pedri (20) during the World Cup soccer final between Spain and Argentina in East Rutherford, New Jersey, near New York, Sunday, July 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
The other concern? That fans wouldn’t watch? Turns out that couldn’t have been wrong.
Already in the round of 16, the match between the United States men’s national team and Belgium set records as the most viewed English-language broadcast of a soccer match in the country’s history. However, the World Cup final featured two teams that have little connection to the United States: Spain and Argentina. Yes, Lionel Messi and Lamine Yamal added star power, but both sides’ squads didn’t reach the level of familiarity that most have with, say, France or England.
And yet, on Tuesday afternoon, FOX reported that ratings and viewership ruined the game between the USMNT and Belgium. The network announced that Spain-Argentina attracted a whopping 38.937 million viewers, reaching a peak of almost 52 million. That broke the record for the most-watched English-language soccer broadcast in the country’s history.
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FIFA President Gianni Infantino (right) with President Donald Trump as Spain lifts the FIFA World Cup trophy after the 2026 FIFA World Cup Final at New York and New Jersey Stadium on July 19, 2026 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images)
Not only that, but it represented the largest audience for a sporting event other than the Super Bowl since the Winter Olympics in 1984. That’s notable and shows how far soccer has come in the United States and how interest in the World Cup has increased.
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It also raises the possibility that the United States may have to be considered a sort of rotating host of the tournament. If the field expands to 64 teams, as expected, few countries have the existing infrastructure to host so many games in large stadiums. And growing the sport in the United States is a key goal for FIFA.
Spanish forward Ferran Torres celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the final match of the 2026 World Cup soccer tournament between Spain and Argentina at New York/New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford on July 19, 2026. (FRANCK FIFE/AFP via Getty Images)
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Imagine how high those numbers would be in a 2038 tournament, if the USMNT could go deeper into the tournament. Even reach a World Cup final. Hopefully we don’t have to imagine it.
