World Cup Opener Between Mexico and South Africa Sets English-Language Viewership Record
The match between Mexico and South Africa shattered U.S. English-language viewership records, drawing 7.1 million viewers and peaking at 18.8 million, according to Nielsen.
- On Thursday, the FIFA World Cup achieved a strong ratings start as over 20 million viewers tuned in for the Mexico-South Africa matchup, with the English-language broadcast drawing 7.1 million viewers.
- Viewership for the tournament opener surged 229% compared to the 2022 World Cup kickoff, with match viewership increasing 150% from the 2022 opening match on Fox Sports.
- Telemundo coverage averaged 7.6 million total viewers and peaked with 9.3 million, while English-language broadcasts across Fox, Fox One, and Tubi drew 7.19 million viewers according to Nielsen figures.
- The Americans' game against Paraguay on Friday set an English-language record, drawing 15.9 million viewers for the team's match, while Spanish-language coverage tallied 8.9 million viewers.
- Comparing historical benchmarks, the 2022 opening match between Qatar and Ecuador drew only 2.8 million viewers, highlighting how current 2026 tournament ratings significantly exceed previous records.
23 Articles
23 Articles
FIFA World Cup Kicks Off Strong With Over 20 Million Viewers for Mexico-South Africa Match
The FIFA World Cup is off to a strong ratings start, with over 20 million viewers tuning in for Thursday’s Mexico-South Africa matchup. The game scored 13.4 million viewers across Telemundo, Peacock and Telemundo Deportes’ digital platforms for Spanish-language coverage as well as 7.19 million viewers across Fox, Fox One and Tubi for English-language coverage, according to live-plus-same-day Nielsen figures. Mexico’s victory over South Africa br…
The inaugural match in Mexico was followed by a wide audience in both Spanish and English
Associated Press News
World Cup opener between Mexico and South Africa sets English-language viewership record
The World Cup game between host Mexico and South Africa drew 7.1 million viewers, making it the most-watched opening match for an English-language broadcast in the United States.
NBCUniversal Reports Record Opening-Day Spanish-Language FIFA World Cup Soccer Viewership
NBCUniversal June 15 reported that the ongoing FIFA World Cup soccer tournament taking place across Mexico, U.S., and Canada generated record opening-day (June 11) Spanish-language TV and streaming viewership across Telemundo and concurrent live-streaming on Peacock. Mexico’s 2-0 win over South Africa generated a record 13.4 million total audience delivery — the most-watched Spanish-language soccer … Continue reading "NBCUniversal Reports Record…
World Cup Dream Still Alive! – South Africa Declares War After Mexico Defeat
The camp of South Africa has refused to write off Bafana Bafana’s FIFA World Cup hopes following a disappointing 2-0 defeat to hosts Mexico in the opening match of Group A. Goals from Julián Quiñones and Raúl Jiménez handed Mexico a comfortable victory at a packed Estadio Azteca. South Africa’s task became even more difficult after Sphephelo Sithole and Themba Zwane were both sent off in a fiery contest that also saw Mexican defender César Monte…
For the opening match of the World Cup, an average of 4.9 million viewers were ahead of M6 last Thursday, according to Mediametry. This is the "best audience for a summer World Cup opening game since 2014", congratulated M6, who took the rights of the Worlds 2026 and 2030 to TF1, their historical broadcaster. Indeed, the opening match of the 2026 edition achieved a better score than that of 2018 (Russia – Saudi Arabia), which had gathered a litt…
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 56% of the sources lean Left
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
