Spain’s World Cup Win Breaks Ratings Records, Scores as Most-Watched Soccer Telecast in U.S. TV History
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41'
Yellow card Lisandro MARTINEZ (Argentina) is booked by
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52'
Yellow card Leandro PAREDES (Argentina) is booked by
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82'
Yellow card Enzo FERNANDEZ (Argentina) is booked by
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90'+2'
Yellow card Cristian ROMERO (Argentina) is booked by
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90'+3'
Red card Enzo FERNANDEZ (Argentina) is booked for
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105'
Yellow card Lionel SCALONI (Argentina) is booked by
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106'
Goal Ferran TORRES (Spain) scores!!
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111'
Yellow card Alexis MAC ALLISTER (Argentina) is booked
Spain squad
- Selected
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8 Fabian RUIZ Midfielder
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10 Dani OLMO Forward
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12 Pedro PORRO Defender
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14 Aymeric LAPORTE Defender
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15 Alex BAENA Midfielder
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16 RODRI C Midfielder
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19 Lamine YAMAL Forward
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21 Mikel OYARZABAL Forward
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22 Pau CUBARSI Defender
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23 Unai SIMON Goalkeeper
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24 Marc CUCURELLA Defender
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1 David RAYA Goalkeeper
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2 Marc PUBILL Defender
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3 Alex GRIMALDO Defender
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4 Eric GARCIA Defender
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5 Marcos LLORENTE Defender
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6 Mikel MERINO Midfielder
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7 Ferran TORRES Forward
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9 GAVI Midfielder
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11 Yeremy PINO Forward
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13 Joan GARCIA Goalkeeper
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17 Nico WILLIAMS Forward
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18 Martin ZUBIMENDI Midfielder
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20 PEDRI Midfielder
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25 Victor MUNOZ Forward
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26 Borja IGLESIAS Forward
Argentina squad
- Selected
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3 Nicolas TAGLIAFICO Defender
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4 Gonzalo MONTIEL Defender
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6 Lisandro MARTINEZ Defender
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7 Rodrigo DE PAUL Midfielder
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9 Julian ALVAREZ Forward
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10 Lionel MESSI C Forward
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13 Cristian ROMERO Defender
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15 Nico GONZALEZ Midfielder
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20 Alexis MAC ALLISTER Midfielder
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23 Emiliano MARTINEZ Goalkeeper
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24 Enzo FERNANDEZ Midfielder
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1 Juan MUSSO Goalkeeper
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2 Marcos SENESI Defender
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5 Leandro PAREDES Midfielder
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8 Valentin BARCO Midfielder
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11 Giovani Lo Celso Midfielder
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12 Geronimo RULLI Goalkeeper
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14 Exequiel PALACIOS Midfielder
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16 Thiago ALMADA Forward
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17 Giuliano SIMEONE Forward
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18 Nico PAZ Forward
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19 Nicolas OTAMENDI Defender
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21 Jose Manuel LOPEZ Forward
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22 Lautaro MARTINEZ Forward
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25 Facundo MEDINA Defender
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26 Nahuel MOLINA Defender
Spain's 1-0 extra-time win over Argentina in the FIFA World Cup 2026 final drew an average of 38,937,000 viewers on Fox, making it the most-watched soccer telecast in United States television history and the most-watched World Cup final ever recorded in the country, according to Nielsen. The result underlines the growing scale of football's audience in the US, with the figure smashing previous benchmarks and reflecting heightened interest around the tournament, which also featured a star-studded first-ever pitchside halftime show.
Combined with 23.9 million viewers on Spanish-language broadcasters Telemundo and Peacock, the final reached a record 62.8 million viewers across both networks. Viewership on Fox peaked at 51,685,000 when substitute Ferran Torres scored the decisive goal in the 106th minute, and the audience was up 132% on the 2022 final and 240% on the 2018 final. The previous English-language record, 33,089,000 for the USMNT's last-16 loss to Belgium, was also surpassed. The halftime show, curated by Coldplay's Chris Martin, featured Madonna, Justin Bieber, BTS, Shakira and others, while in Spain the match drew 15.7 million viewers and an 87.1% audience share.
In short
- Spain beat Argentina 1-0 in extra time to win the World Cup final
- US broadcast drew 38.9m viewers, a record for soccer on American TV
- Combined English/Spanish-language audience hit a record 62.8 million
Explained simply
The FIFA World Cup is an international football tournament held every four years, with national teams competing to become world champions. Spain and Argentina reached the 2026 final, which was decided after extra time.
In the United States, Fox carried the match in English, while Telemundo and Peacock offered Spanish-language coverage. Nielsen measures television audiences, allowing broadcasters to compare how many people watched the final with earlier matches and other major sports broadcasts.
Football has historically drawn smaller US television audiences than sports such as American football, but its following has grown. The World Cup brings together viewers from many backgrounds, including Spanish-speaking audiences, and the 2026 tournament included a first-ever pitchside half-time show.
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