The U.S. men’s national soccer team faced Bosnia and Herzegovina in a match that made history. Nielsen’s preliminary data showed the broadcast on Fox garnered an average of 24.43 million viewers. The viewership peaked at 31.88 million towards the game’s end. This achievement marks the largest English-language audience for a soccer game in U.S. television history.
The previous record belonged to the 2015 Women’s World Cup final between the U.S. and Japan, which attracted 22.32 million viewers. Telemundo’s Spanish broadcast added another 9.1 million viewers. Altogether, the game’s viewership reached a combined total of 33.53 million, setting a new record for soccer broadcasts in the United States.
Throughout the current World Cup, ratings have continuously reached new heights. The match against Bosnia and Herzegovina saw the U.S. team aiming to secure its first knockout stage victory since 2002, following a loss to Turkey in the group stage.
On the opposing side, Bosnia and Herzegovina looked to upset the U.S. team on its home ground after advancing from Group B as a third-place team. A crucial moment in the match was U.S. striker Folarin Balogun’s red card, which was highly controversial. This incident left the U.S. with ten players for the final 25 minutes and sidelined Balogun for the upcoming Round of 16 match against Belgium.
Despite these challenges, the U.S. team triumphed with a 2-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina.
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