SouthernWorldwide.com – The recent World Cup match between the United States and Bosnia and Herzegovina has shattered television viewership records, drawing an unprecedented audience for a soccer broadcast in the United States.
Preliminary figures released by Nielsen indicate that the English-language broadcast on Fox captivated an average of 24.43 million viewers. The excitement reached its peak late in the game, with viewership surging to an impressive 31.88 million.
This substantial audience makes the match the most-watched English-language soccer broadcast in U.S. history. It narrowly surpassed the previous record holder, the 2015 Women’s World Cup final between the U.S. and Japan, which had garnered an average of 22.32 million viewers, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter.
Adding to the historic numbers, the Spanish-language telecast of the same game on Telemundo attracted an additional 9.1 million viewers. This combined viewership of 33.53 million across both networks solidifies its position as a record-breaking event for soccer broadcasts in the United States.
This latest record is not an isolated incident, as the current World Cup has been consistently breaking viewership records since its commencement. The tournament has demonstrated a remarkable ability to draw in a massive audience, highlighting the growing popularity of soccer in the U.S.
The highly anticipated match saw the U.S. Men’s National Team aiming to secure their first knockout stage victory since 2002. This was a crucial goal following a disappointing loss to Türkiye that concluded their group stage campaign.
On the other side, Bosnia and Herzegovina entered the match with aspirations of playing the role of spoiler. Having advanced from Group B as a third-place team, they were keen to eliminate the United States on their home soil, adding another layer of drama to the encounter.
Ultimately, the United States emerged victorious with a 2-0 win. However, this victory came at a significant cost. Star striker Folarin Balogun received a highly controversial red card. This not only removed him from the match against Bosnia and Herzegovina, forcing the U.S. to play the final 25 minutes with one less player, but also ruled him out of the upcoming Round of 16 match against Belgium.
