Jul 21, 2026, 08:01 PM ET

Numerous elements could have derailed this summer's FIFA World Cup, a complex event involving three host nations, 16 venues, 48 squads, 104 matches and countless chances for issues both on and off the pitch.

Looking back, however, many aspects succeeded, such as the historic television numbers for Spain's 1-0 triumph over Argentina in the Sunday final.

The United States, Canada and Mexico hosted soccer's premier event for nearly six weeks, with most of the drama confined to the playing surface.

Fox reported on Tuesday that the Spain-Argentina final attracted 38.937 million viewers, reaching a high of 51.685 million, establishing a new benchmark for the most-viewed English-language soccer broadcast in U.S. history per Nielsen Media Research.

Telemundo's early estimates for the Spanish-language coverage showed 22.6 million total viewers, bringing the combined U.S. audience above 60 million.

Key athletes including Argentina's Lionel Messi, France's Kylian Mbappé and Norway's Erling Haaland gained widespread recognition throughout North America. Ratings stayed elevated in the U.S. following the American team's exit. And despite elevated ticket costs, the majority of matches drew full crowds.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino offered strong commendation to the organizing nations on Sunday.

Fox aired all 104 games in English across its channels, with U.S. interest holding steady even after the national side fell to Belgium in the round of 16.

Spanish-language options on Telemundo drew significant interest as well, including among those not fluent in the language.

Fox averaged 7.737 million viewers across the 104 broadcasts on Fox, FS1 and Tubi, an increase from 3.588 million in 2022 and 2.77 million in 2018.

Although Nielsen figures provide insight into the final's broad appeal, accurately gauging total viewership proves difficult due to group viewing at events like watch parties. In 2025, Nielsen broadened its out-of-home tracking to improve accuracy.

Following some initial challenges, attendance at venues proved robust across the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

"We have had a record number of spectators in the stadiums, almost 7 million," Infantino said. "We will have had, I mean the official figures will come out soon, but probably over 6 billion people watching it from home."

The expanded 48-team format marked the largest field in World Cup history.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.