The U.S. national team has done much more than conquering an impressive victory in the debut game of the FIFA World Cup 2026. Mauricio Pochettino’s team also created a television phenomenon that highlighted the growing influence of football in the American sports scene.
The emphatic 4-1 victory of the United States on Paraguay has attracted the extraordinary figure of 24,9 million spectators between Fox Sports and Telemundo, establishing a new record for a match of the American national team and underlining the extraordinary charm of a World Cup at home.
If on the one hand the performance in the field has generated enthusiasm among the fans, the numbers out of the field could be equally significant for the future of football in the United States. The audience generated by the U.S. debut game at the World Championships exceeded all other major sports broadcasts in the country this year, including the NBA finals of 2026.
Prior to the start of the tournament, the most watched sporting event of the year was Race 3 of the final series between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs, which had attracted 23.8 million spectators. The debut of the U.S. national team at the World Cup exceeded this figure, demonstrating the unique power of the largest global football event when hosted on American soil.
The atmosphere inside the stadium reflected the same enthusiasm. Over 70,000 spectators filled the SoFi Stadium to attend the event in person, creating a vibrant setting for one of the most important matches in the recent history of American football.
For FIFA, television broadcasters and business partners, numbers provide further evidence that the 2026 World Cups are capturing the attention of the general public well beyond the traditional football.
Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of the television audience is its dizzying increase compared to previous tournaments. Fox Sports ratings are more than doubled compared to U.S. group stage matches during the FIFA 2022 World Cup in Qatar. This growth suggests that interest in national and football in general has intensified over the last four years.
Several factors contributed to this boom. Hosting the tournament has created unprecedented visibility, while the emergence of a new generation of American stars has helped bring football to the center of the country’s sporting debate. The result against Paraguay also provided the perfect demonstration. A dominant performance, offensive football and a convincing victory gave occasional viewers all the reasons for following the tournament.
With the progress of the World Cup, FIFA and the US Football Federation hope that these record figures are only the beginning. If TV ratings continue at this rate, the 2026 tournament could become a decisive moment in the long-term evolution of football in the United States, transforming curiosity into a lasting passion and raising this sport to unprecedented levels.
L’articolo The debut of the American National Team beats the finals NBA proviene da IlNewyorkese.
