FIFA World Cup 2026 Group Stage Sets New Viewership Records

WHO:

NBC Sports - Telemundo and Peacock are delivering coverage for the FIFA World Cup 2026™.

FOX Sports - Michael Mulvihill is the President of Insight & Analytics at FOX Sports.

WHAT:

NBC Sports - Throughout the 72 matches of the Group Stage, Telemundo and Peacock captured 48% of the combined World Cup™ audience in the U.S.

NBC Sports - Five other countries had their highest Total Audience Delivery ever for a FIFA World Cup™ match in Spanish-language media history: Brazil (7.9 million viewers), Uruguay (7.0 million viewers), Ecuador (6.8 million viewers), and Colombia and Portugal (9.2 million viewers) on June 27.

NBC Sports - The top five teams by average Total Audience Delivery during the Group Stage were Mexico (12.1 million), Colombia (7.7 million), Argentina (7.2 million), USA (7.1 million), and Brazil (7.0 million).

FOX Sports - The Brazil vs. Morocco match was the most-watched non-USMNT match during the Group Stage with 10,020,000 viewers.

FOX Sports - The FIFA World Cup 2026™ Pregame show averaged 2,287,000 viewers, up 142% from 2022.

NBC Sports - The FIFA World Cup 2026™ Group Stage averaged a Total Audience Delivery of 4.6 million viewers in Spanish, a 122% increase compared to the 2022 Group Stage.

NBC Sports - The Group Stage delivered an average minute audience of 2.0 million viewers on Peacock and Telemundo, up 251% from 2022.

NBC Sports - The Group Stage generated 39.9 billion total minutes consumed across Telemundo, Universo, Peacock, and Telemundo streaming platforms, which is 50% larger than the combined Qatar 2022 and Russia 2018 Group Stages.

NBC Sports - The Mexico vs. South Korea match on June 18 is the most-streamed World Cup™ match in Spanish-language media history with an Average Minute Audience (AMA) of 6.1 million viewers.

NBC Sports - Telemundo has ranked as the #1 Spanish-language television network for 17 consecutive days during Total Day (7A-2A) with 1.9 million average viewers, a 297% increase compared to May 2026.

FOX Sports - The FIFA World Cup 2026™ Pregame show averaged 2,287,000 viewers, up 142% from 2022.

FOX Sports - The Group Stage was the most-watched FIFA Men’s World Cup™ Group Stage telecast average in English-language U.S. history, averaging 5,052,000 viewers, up 92% from 2022.

FOX Sports - The opener against Paraguay delivered 18,039,000 viewers, followed by 17,020,000 for the match against Türkiye and 16,218,000 for the match against Australia.

FOX Sports - Cabo Verde’s match against Uruguay peaked at 8,428,000 viewers, up 391% from the FIFA Men’s World Cup 2022™ Group Stage telecast average on FS1.

FOX Sports - The Group Stage generated 4.53 billion views across FOX Sports’ digital and social platforms, making it the most socially viewed event in FOX Sports history.

NBC Sports - Mexico vs. Czechia on June 24 delivered 12.3 million viewers, ranking as the second most-watched soccer match in Spanish-language media history.

NBC Sports - Mexico vs. South Africa on June 11 had 10.1 million viewers, making it the most-watched FIFA World Cup™ Opening Game in history.

NBC Sports - The U.S. Men’s National Team (USMNT) matches against Paraguay on June 12 and Australia on June 19 had 7.0 million and 6.8 million viewers, respectively.

FOX Sports - Cabo Verde's match against Uruguay peaked at 8,428,000 viewers, up 391% from the FIFA Men’s World Cup 2022™ Group Stage telecast average on FS1.

FOX Sports - The FIFA World Cup 2026™ Group Stage generated 4.53 billion views across FOX Sports’ digital and social platforms, making it the most socially viewed event in FOX Sports history.

NBC Sports - Telemundo-owned stations reached 17.4 million total viewers during the first 15 days of the FIFA World Cup 2026™ Group Stage.

NBC Sports - Telemundo-owned stations’ average audience increased more than 50% among total viewers compared to the same period of the 2022 tournament.

NBC Sports - The Mexico vs. South Korea match on June 18 delivered 14.0 million viewers, making it the most-watched soccer match in Spanish-language media history.

NBC Sports - The USA vs. Turkey match on June 25 had 7.4 million viewers, ranking as the second most-watched Team USA World Cup match in Spanish-language media history.

FOX Sports - The Brazil vs. Morocco match was the most-watched non-USMNT match during the Group Stage with 10,020,000 viewers.

FOX Sports - Cabo Verde’s 2-2 draw with Uruguay scored 6,183,000 viewers, making it the most-watched soccer match in FS1 history.

FOX Sports - The FIFA World Cup 2026™ Pregame show averaged 2,287,000 viewers, up 142% from 2022.

FOX Sports - FIFA WORLD CUP™ ON FOX AFTER HOURS WITH JAMES CORDEN ranked No. 1 among broadcast late night talk shows in M18-34 since the start of the tournament.

NBC Sports - The FIFA World Cup 2026™ Group Stage averages a Total Audience Delivery of 4.6 million viewers in Spanish, a 122% increase compared to the 2022 Group Stage.

NBC Sports - The Group Stage delivers an average minute audience of 2.0 million viewers on Peacock and Telemundo, up 251% from 2022.

FOX Sports - The Group Stage averages 5,052,000 viewers across FOX, FS1, and Tubi, a 92% increase from 2022.

FOX Sports - The U.S. Men’s National Team (USMNT) set records with the top three most-watched FIFA World Cup™ telecasts in English-language U.S. history.

FOX Sports - The opener against Paraguay delivered 18,039,000 viewers, followed by 17,020,000 for the match against Türkiye and 16,218,000 for the match against Australia.

NBC Sports - Mexico delivered the three most-watched soccer matches in Spanish-language media history during the Group Stage.

NBC Sports - The Group Stage generated 25.4 million actions across social platforms, a 221% increase from the combined 2018 and 2022 Group Stages.

FOX Sports - The Group Stage was the most-streamed FIFA World Cup™ ever in FOX Sports history.

WHERE:

NBC Sports - Telemundo and Peacock are the platforms delivering the Spanish-language coverage in the U.S.

FOX Sports - The FIFA World Cup 2026™ is hosted across 16 cities in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

WHEN:

NBC Sports - The Group Stage took place from June 11 to June 27.

FOX Sports - The FIFA World Cup 2026™ runs from June 11 through July 19, 2026.

HOW:

Sports Video Group - DAZN48, a creator initiative for the FIFA World Cup 2026, received thousands of applications and selected 48 creators, generating over 16 million impressions and 15 million video views during the opening round of fixtures.

NBC Sports - Telemundo and Peacock achieved a 50% larger audience than the combined Qatar 2022 and Russia 2018 Group Stages.

FOX Sports - The Group Stage was streamed in 4K live and on-demand on FOX One.

Telemundo and Peacock captured an impressive 48% of the combined World Cup audience in the U.S. during the Group Stage, while five countries, including Brazil and Portugal, set records for their highest Total Audience Delivery ever for a FIFA World Cup match in Spanish-language media history on June 27. The top five teams by average Total Audience Delivery featured Mexico leading with 12.1 million viewers, followed by Colombia, Argentina, the USA, and Brazil. Additionally, the Brazil vs. Morocco match became the most-watched non-USMNT match of the Group Stage, attracting over 10 million viewers, and the FIFA World Cup 2026 Pregame show saw a remarkable increase of 142% in viewership compared to 2022.