The World Cup matchup between the United States and Belgium has gone down in the record books — not just for the scoreline, but for the massive audience that watched it unfold.
Fox announced Tuesday, following the release of preliminary ratings, that the round-of-16 contest was the most-watched soccer broadcast ever aired in the United States. An estimated 30 million viewers across the country tuned in to watch the Monday night game.
Belgium handed the U.S. a 4-1 defeat in Seattle, punching their ticket to the quarterfinals and knocking out the last of the tournament’s three co-host nations in the process.
The viewership numbers didn’t just hold steady — they surged as the night went on. Fox reported the audience peaked at more than 36.8 million viewers during the 9:15 to 9:30 p.m. Eastern Time window.
The previous record had been set just days earlier. Fox said the U.S. match against Bosnia-Herzegovina drew 26.4 million viewers, a mark that has now been surpassed by Monday’s historic broadcast.
