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- US win over Paraguay draws nearly 25 million US viewers
- Mexico’s victory over South Africa also breaks records
- Fox avoids punishment for breaking advertising rules
The United States’ opening game of the 2026 Fifa World Cup against Paraguay attracted nearly 25 million viewers in the US as public interest in a first home tournament and a primetime slot on a main network paid early dividends for domestic broadcasters Fox and Telemundo.
Fox’s English language coverage averaged 15.99 million on its flagship network, the Fox One direct-to-consumer (DTC) streaming service, and the Tubi free ad-supported television (FAST) service – a record for a US men’s World Cup match. Peak viewership reached 18.86 million, while streaming on Tubi delivered an average minute audience (AMA) of 1.13 million.
Meanwhile, Telemundo averaged 8.9 million viewers across linear and digital platforms for the same match, marking the highest-ever Spanish-language World Cup audience for a US men’s game.
Viewership was significantly up on the US team’s previous men’s World Cup opener in Qatar four years ago, with the 1-1 draw against Wales earning 7.76 million viewers on Fox and another 3.5 million on Telemundo. In addition to heightened public interest, a home tournament also eliminates time zone differences that can effect viewership.
Momentum extended beyond the US opener. Telemundo’s broadcast of Mexico’s win over South Africa averaged 12.1 million viewers, setting a new Spanish-language record for a tournament match. Fox also averaged 6.3 million viewers for its opening fixture coverage, the largest ever US English-language audience for a men’s World Cup opener.
The audience figures represent an early commercial win for Fox as it enters the final tournament covered by its current Fifa rights agreement. Fox secured the rights to the 2026 edition for a relatively cut-price US$485 million before the US was confirmed as co-host, with Fifa reportedly keen to avoid the prospect of litigation over the decision to shift the 2022 World Cup in Qatar from summer to winter.
Fox’s strong figures will ensure a significant return on investment, especially with broadcasters permitted to sell in-game advertising via newly-introduced hydration breaks. The already controversial measures have come under further scrutiny in the opening game, after Fox ran commercials during a stoppage, but returned to live play 10 seconds after action resumed in the second half, breaching Fifa’s requirement to resume coverage 30 seconds before restart.
According to The Guardian, Fox has explained itself to Fifa, claiming it was unaware referee Wilson Sampaio had called for a water break shortly after striker Raúl Jiménez scored Mexico’s second goal. It then was late to cutting to its commercial breaks, which then ran over.
The outlet reports that soccer’s governing body has accepted Fox’s explanation and will not take further action. However it highlights the potential disruption that the new commercial inventory can cause.
Fox is not alone in taking advantage of its new freedoms. DAZN and BeIN Sports have chosen to air commercials on a market-by-market basis depending on demand. However Telemundo has opted not to do so, while ITV is constrained by stricter regulations that limit the amount of adverts that can be shown per broadcast hour in the UK.
These divergent strategies highlight the tension between new revenue opportunities and uninterrupted match coverage, which remains central to viewer expectations. Fox’s early audience figures suggests however that hydration-break advertising could prove to be a valuable component that boosts future World Cup media rights deals.
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