Commenting on these statistics, FIFA President Gianni Infantino stated, “What we are witnessing here is truly historic. The opening match in the United States against Paraguay became the most-watched FIFA World Cup match ever aired in the United States. Additionally, over 54 million viewers from Canada, Mexico, and the United States watched their nations’ opening matches, breaking records and demonstrating how football truly connects the world.”
Infantino continued, “These numbers reflect what this tournament signifies for these nations, this continent, and the globe. However, it goes beyond mere statistics—this involves millions of individuals from around the world uniting through football. The atmosphere, the energy, and the passion I sense in these host nations are incredibly unique. Fans in packed stadiums, those watching from home, and others celebrating in the streets are all part of something special.”
The United States achieved the largest television audiences in FIFA World Cup history. The host nation’s opening win over Paraguay garnered an average of 27.5 million viewers on FOX and Telemundo, marking it the most-watched FIFA World Cup match ever aired in the country.
FOX recorded the highest-viewed FIFA Men’s World Cup match in English-language broadcasting history in the United States, as well as the most-streamed English language match for the USMNT in the tournament’s history.
Simultaneously, Telemundo achieved the highest viewership for a UNMNT FIFA World Cup match on Spanish-language television, along with the most-watched FIFA World Cup group-stage match that did not feature Mexico in the history of Spanish-language broadcasting.
Mexico’s opening match against South Africa set new records as well. An average of 23.4 million viewers made this match the country’s most-watched FIFA World Cup game of the 21st century. The encounter recorded an impressive 72.1% television market share, meaning that nearly three out of every four viewers in Mexico were following El Tri’s debut in the tournament. Furthermore, the event resonated across the border, with approximately 20 million viewers tuning in the United States, where Telemundo provided the most-watched Spanish-language FIFA World Cup opening match in US television history.
Canada’s inaugural FIFA World Cup 2026 match against Bosnia and Herzegovina also highlighted the increasing enthusiasm for the tournament nationwide. The match captured an average audience of 3.1 million viewers across English and French-language broadcasters, making it the third most-watched FIFA World Cup match for Canada’s men’s national team in the 21st century as the country kicked off its campaign on home soil.
(Edited by : Tarkesh Jha)
