The United States men's national team's 4-1 defeat by Belgium in the last 16 of the World Cup drew 30 million viewers, making it the most-watched football telecast in US history and continuing a run of record-breaking ratings for broadcaster Fox. The match peaked at 36.9 million viewers between 9:15 and 9:30am ET, as Mauricio Pochettino's side chased an equaliser at the start of the second half.

The result extended a strong tournament for Fox, which had already set a soccer ratings record in the previous round with the USMNT's win over Bosnia and Herzegovina (24.4 million viewers, peaking near 32 million). Belgium led through Charles De Ketelaere, was pegged back by Malik Tillman's 31st-minute equaliser, then pulled ahead again via De Ketelaere, with further goals from Hans Vanaken and Romelu Lukaku. Fox's Mike Mulvihill likened the World Cup's reach to "a second NFL season", arguing football's popularity in the US is no longer in doubt.