The strength of the World Cup continued to be on display over the weekend, with quarterfinal matches setting more viewership records. The quarterfinals, even without two host nations in the U.S. and Mexico competing, averaged more than 26 million viewers across Fox, Telemundo and Peacock.
Fox’s match coverage in the round averaged more than 15.6 million viewers, while Telemundo (Spanish language) and Peacock combined for 10.4 million viewers, pushing the total average over 26 million. That combined number is the best ever for World Cup quarterfinals in the U.S. (English or Spanish language).
Not surprisingly with the U.S. exit, England’s win over Erling Haaland and Norway on Saturday afternoon led the pack of quarterfinal matches with 21.8 million viewers on Fox. That was the most-watched, non-USMNT, English-language match in U.S. history for the World Cup, peaking at more than 28 million viewers late in the contest. Meanwhile, Argentina’s late win over Switzerland on Saturday night came in at more than 18.1 million viewers on Fox.
France-Morocco (10.2 million on Fox, 8.0 million on Telemundo/Peacock) and Spain-Belgium (9.9 million on Fox, 7.3 million on Telemundo/Peacock) rounded out the quarterfinal matches.
The quarterfinal average for Fox (15.6 million) was up 150% from the 2022 World Cup, which was played in Qatar in December (6.2 million). Telemundo and Peacock’s average for the quarterfinal (10.4 million) was up from 4.1 million in 2022.
