The U.S. men’s national team’s victory over Iran in the World Cup drew more than 12 million viewers on Tuesday, propelling the team to the global soccer tournament’s knockout round and powering record ratings for Fox.
Viewing of the game peaked at 14.6 million between 3:45 p.m. ET and 4 p.m. ET.
The game was also the most-streamed World Cup match in Fox history with 949,004 viewers.
Fox Sports said the three U.S. games averaged 11.7 million viewers, making it the most watched World Cup group stage ever in the U.S. on English language television. Viewing was up 10% from 2014, the last time the U.S. competed in the World Cup.
Overall the World Cup is averaging 3.145 million viewers on Fox and FS! Through the first 31 matches, up 44% from the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
In a tweet, Fox Sports ratings whiz Michael Mulvihill noted that the 11.7 million viewers watching the U.S. play in the World Cup at 2 p.m. “easily beats the average of every non-NFL show on TV this fall.”
The viewership is 33% better than 60 Minutes, the No. 1 non-NFL show in primetime, he said.
Top markets for the U.S.-Iran match were Washington D.C. with an 8.4 ratings and 34 share, Providence 7.9/26, Boston 7.8/30, Baltimore 7.8/30 and Kansas City 7.7/30. ■
