U.S. vs. Belgium had a total American audience of 42 million

The good news? Many were watching Monday night's game between the U.S. and Belgium in the World Cup Round of 16.

The bad news? Many were watching Monday night's game between the U.S. and Belgium in the World Cup Round of 16.

Preliminary numbers reported by Fox and Telemundo reveal a total audience, on average, of 42 million, with 30 million watching the English-language broadcast on Fox and 12 million watching the Spanish-language version on Telemundo and Peacock.

By comparison, the NFL's divisional round in January 2026 averaged 39.2 million viewers.

The unceremonious exit by the U.S. team, in a sluggish showing that was influenced (I believe) by the interference from the Oval Office, will result in lower ratings in the upcoming rounds. But if the U.S. had found a way to keep winning, the numbers would have continued to increase — with the final match possibly approaching 100 million.

Make no mistake about it. Soccer is now a mainstream American sport. It will be interesting to see the extent to which the MLS and the Premier League experience a boost as people who have become fascinated by the game (me included) seek out ways to watch more of it.