Ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, many doubters around the world and within 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 US shouldn’t host because soccer was still a niche domestic sport. And surprise, surprise, turns out those concerns were completely invalid.
Attendance broke records before the end of the group stage. Visitors flowed into the US from around the world, then gave glowing reviews to their hosts, stadiums, and local fans. Some were even overcome with emotion at the kindness they experienced in the country.
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Argentina’s Lionel Messi (10) stands next to Spain’s Pedri (20) during the World Cup final soccer match between Spain and Argentina in East Rutherford, N.J., near New York, Sunday, July 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
The other concern? That fans wouldn’t watch? Turns out that could not have been wrong.
Already, in the round of 16, the match between the US Men’s National Team and Belgium set records for the most watched English language broadcast of a soccer game in the history of the country. The World Cup Final however, featured two teams that have little connection to the United States: Spain and Argentina. Yes, Lionel Messi and Lamine Yamal added star power, but rosters on both sides did not rise to the level of familiarity most have with say, France or England.
And yet, Tuesday afternoon, FOX reported that ratings and viewership blew that USMNT-Belgium game out of the water. The network announced that Spain-Argentina drew a whopping 38.937 million viewers, peaking at nearly 52 million. That shattered the record for 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 FIFA World Cup 2026 Final match at New York New Jersey Stadium on July 19, 2026 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images)
Not only that, but it represented the highest viewership for a non-Super Bowl sporting event since the Winter Olympics in 1984. That’s remarkable, and it shows how far soccer has come in the United States, and how interest in the World Cup has surged.
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It also raises the possibility that the US should be considered a bit of rotating host for the tournament. If the field expands to 64 teams, as expected, few other countries have the existing infrastructure to host that many games in large stadiums. And growing the sport in the US is a key goal for FIFA.
Spain’s forward Ferran Torres celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the 2026 World Cup football tournament final match between Spain and Argentina at the New York/New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford on July 19, 2026. (FRANCK FIFE / AFP via Getty Images)
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Just imagine how high those numbers would be in a 2038 tournament, if the USMNT can go deeper into the tournament. Even reaching a World Cup final. Hopefully we won’t have to imagine it.
