On the eve of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, many skeptics around the world and within the sports media claimed that the United States would be a disastrous host.
The fact that hosting the tournament under President Donald Trump would mean fewer international visitors and that the United States should not host it because soccer remains a niche national sport. And surprise, surprise, it turns out those concerns were completely invalid.
Attendance broke records before the end of the group stage. Visitors from around the world flocked to the United States, then gave rave reviews to their hosts, stadiums and home fans. Some were even moved by 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 FIFA World Cup final between Spain and Argentina in East Rutherford, New Jersey, near New York, Sunday, July 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
The other concern? That fans wouldn’t watch? Turns out that couldn’t be wrong.
Already, in the round of 16, the match between the United States men’s national team and Belgium set the record for the most watched English broadcast of a football match in the country’s history. The World Cup final, however, pitted two teams with few ties to the United States: Spain and Argentina. Yes, Lionel Messi and Lamine Yamal added star power, but the squads on both sides haven’t reached the level of familiarity that most have with, say, France or England.
And yet, on Tuesday afternoon, FOX reported that the ratings and ratings blew this USMNT-Belgium game. The channel announced that the Spain-Argentina affair attracted 38.937 million viewers, with a peak of almost 52 million. This broke the record for the most-watched English-language football broadcast in the country’s history.
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FIFA President Gianni Infantino (right) with President Donald Trump as Spain raises the FIFA World Cup trophy after the 2026 FIFA World Cup 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’s the highest viewership for a non-Super Bowl sporting event since the 1984 Winter Olympics. That’s remarkable, and it shows how far soccer has progressed in the United States and how much interest in the World Cup has increased.
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It also raises the possibility that the United States could be considered a rotating host of the tournament. If the field expands to 64 teams, as expected, few other countries have the existing infrastructure to host so many matches in large stadiums. And growing the sport in the United States is a key goal of FIFA.
Spain forward Ferran Torres celebrates his team’s first goal during the 2026 FIFA World Cup final match between Spain and Argentina at New York/New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford on July 19, 2026. (FRANCK FIFE / AFP via Getty Images)
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Imagine how high those numbers would be in a 2038 tournament, if the USMNT could go deeper in the tournament. Even reaching a World Cup final. I hope we don’t have to imagine it.
