USA beats Bosnia‑Herzegovina in most‑viewed English soccer broadcast
On Wednesday night, the United States defeated Bosnia‑Herzegovina 2-0 in Santa Clara, California, and advanced to the round of 16, marking the team’s first knockout victory since 2002. The match was broadcast by multiple networks including Fox Sports and Telemundo.
Fox Sports reported that the English‑language broadcast drew 24.4 million viewers, setting a record for U.S. soccer telecasts, while the audience peaked at 31.8 million. They set a new record in U.S. soccer.
Telemundo’s Spanish‑language coverage reached 9.1 million viewers, also a record for U.S. soccer broadcasts in Spanish, according to NBCUniversal. The Spanish‑language record shows rising U.S. soccer interest.
The match outperformed the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup final, which drew 22.3 million English‑language viewers, and surpassed the average viewership of the 2025 Super Bowl, which averaged 127.7 million viewers across multiple networks. Mexico‑Ecuador match drew 29.3 million U.S. viewers.
USMNT veteran DaMarcus Beasley said the growth of professional soccer in the United States, driven by 2026 World Cup preparations, is creating an ecosystem that could enable the national team to win a major tournament in the future. This momentum helps grow domestic leagues.