Monday’s USA-Belgium game at the World Cup did record-breaking TV ratings for a soccer game in the United States.
Or so we thought. It turns out that a game played a day earlier and not involving USA soccer drew more U.S. eyeballs.
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The ratings for Mexico-England played in Mexico City on Sunday were revealed on Wednesday. Per Fox Sports, England’s dramatic 3-2 win drew 21,742,000 viewers on its network. Combined with 23.1 million U.S. viewers on Telemundo, that adds up to roughly 44.8 million viewers.
That’s more than the estimated 42 million U.S. viewers who tuned in Monday to watch Belgium’s 4-1 rout of USA across Fox, Telemundo and Peacock.
Numbers rival those of NFC/AFC championship games
It adds up to record viewership for a soccer game in the U.S. And they’re numbers that rival those of NFL playoff games. Per Pro Football Talk, the NFC and AFC championship games last season drew an average of 47.4 million viewers.
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The numbers are astounding and a testament to the success of this year’s World Cup being held across North American cities. And they don’t account for the estimated 60 million TV viewers in Mexico or anywhere else around the world who watched England-Mexico.
Why did Mexico-England outdraw USA-Belgium?
The USA-Belgium numbers remain remarkable. U.S. interest in soccer reached a fever pitch just before kickoff Monday night, and the ratings demonstrate that. But that excitement was quickly doused as Belgium asserted early control of the game and never let go in what ended up as a disappointing exit for the U.S. host team.
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For U.S. fans and neutral observers, it added up to a tough watch, and it’s easy to presume that a significant chunk of viewers tuned out as the game progressed.
Mexico-England, by contrast, was a thriller from start to finish in which England prevailed despite playing a man down in front of a raucous Mexico City crowd. Add in that it was one of the most anticipated games yet of the tournament, and the ratings make sense, as remarkable as they are.
