Fox Sports President of Insights and Analytics Mike Mulvihill said this year’s World Cup in North America is “like having two NFL seasons in a single year” for the network, according to Stephen Battaglio of the L.A. TIMES. Mulvihill projects that by the end of the tournament, “150 million people will have watched some portion of Fox’s 2026 FIFA World Cup coverage.” The figure “approaches the 170 million people Fox reaches with a slate of regular season NFL games.” Fox will be able to “capitalize on the strong numbers for the early matches.” Networks “typically hold back some commercial inventory for big events in case audience levels fall short of what advertisers are guaranteed.” Fox has “surpassed those expectations and can now go back into the marketplace to sell available commercials for the later rounds, most likely for more than what was paid before the tournament” (L.A. TIMES, 6/18).
Fox: World Cup audience like having ‘two NFL seasons in a single year’
