The 2026 Men’s World Cup is off to a record-breaking start.
The tournament began Thursday with the opening match between Mexico and South Africa, with the former’s 2-0 victory clutching 6.3M viewers across Fox, Fox One and Tubi, per a combination of early Nielsen ratings and internal data. That makes it the most-watched English-language U.S. telecast of a Men’s World Cup opening match ever.
The match also scored the best audience for any non-USMNT group stage telecast at the Men’s World Cup in English-language U.S. history.
The Mexico-South Africa viewership was up 97% from the average non-USMNT group stage telecast average on Fox in 2022, setting the stage for a buzzy tournament. The audience peaked with just over 8M viewers from 4:15 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. ET.
On Tubi, in particular, the match had a very strong showing, marking the most-streamed English-language opening match telecast in FIFA World Cup history.
Thursday’s match was preceded by the first of three opening ceremonies, which are set to continue Friday with showings in Los Angeles and Toronto. Mexico City’s affair featured performances from Shakira, Burna Boy, J Balvin, Andrea Bocelli, EJAE, and more.
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