Fox Corporation’s telecasts of the 2026 FIFA World Cup men’s soccer tournament this summer helped propel its broadcast network to the top of the prime-time ratings pile, according to an analysis of data reported by Nielsen Media Research.
In a typical week, Fox‘s prime-time program generally places fourth among the largest four broadcast networks, with the other three — ABC, CBS and NBC — jockeying for first place. But strong interest in the FIFA World Cup tournament, spurred by highly competitive matches and the organization’s decision to host games in North America, has boosted Fox’s prime-time audience over the past month, ratings data evaluated by The Desk shows.
More than 8.16 million viewers tuned in to Fox’s prime-time programming from June 15 to July 12, according to The Desk‘s evaluation of Nielsen data. When accounting for the first few days of the FIFA World Cup tournament — which started during the June 8 measurement week — Fox’s average prime-time audience was 7.48 million viewers, well-ahead of any other network.
A match between the U.S. Men’s National Team and Belgium attracted the highest TV ratings for any English-language soccer game since Nielsen began collecting data, with Fox attracting more than 33 million viewers with its coverage of the game. The peak audience occurred from 9:15 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Eastern Time, with Fox attracting 40.1 million viewers, the network said in a statement.
Fox began broadcasting the FIFA World Cup tournament in 2018, grabbing the rights from Disney’s ABC and ESPN. The first tournament was a bust for Fox on account of the U.S. Men’s National Team not qualifying for the event, and many questioned whether the network’s investment in soccer was worthwhile.
Fox reportedly paid under $500 million for the rights to this year’s tournament, and there have been fewer doubts about whether the games have generated a nice return. The network’s insistence on airing commercial interruptions during “hydration breaks” is expected to earn between $250 million and $500 million alone, according to some reports. That figure doesn’t include ad revenue earned from traditional TV spots aired before and after games, or in-game sponsorship banners.
The final game of the 2026 FIFA World Cup tournament airs on Sunday, when Argentina and Spain compete for the trophy. The game starts at 3 p.m. Eastern Time on Fox.
This tournament is the last guaranteed to Fox under its current rights package. The rights for the 2032 games are expected to trigger a bidding war, with other media companies like Google-owned YouTube and Disney expected to make offers for some or all games. Disney is also exploring a bid to bring the tournament back to ABC and ESPN, according to CNBC.
