World Cup 2026 Final Draws Largest Non-NFL US TV Audience Since 1998
FOX and Telemundo's coverage of the Spain-Argentina final reached a combined 66.4 million US viewers, the biggest non-NFL, non-news audience since the Seinfeld finale.
AfroEuropa Newsroom
AfroEuropa desk
The final of the FIFA World Cup 2026 between Spain and Argentina became the most-watched non-NFL television event in the United States in nearly three decades, according to figures cited by Sports Video Group.
FOX's coverage of the match topped Nielsen's Top 25 Live Sports Events Telecasts for the week of July 13–19 with a record 38,937,000 viewers. Combined with Spanish-language coverage on Telemundo, the final drew 66.4 million viewers across the two networks — 42.5 million on FOX and 23.9 million on Telemundo.
According to SportsMediaWatch, that total represents the largest US television audience, excluding NFL games and news events, since the series finale of "Seinfeld" in 1998, which drew 76.3 million. When NFL games are included, only the Super Bowl has averaged more viewers over that period.
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