The United States’ World Cup dream ended in disappointment Monday night, but the television audience tuning in to watch the team’s loss will go down in history. Fox announced Tuesday that 30 million people watched the U.S. fall to Belgium 4-1 in the Round of 16 at the World Cup in Seattle, setting a record as the most-watched soccer telecast in American history.
The viewership peaked at just shy of 37 million people between 9:15 and 9:30 p.m. Eastern Time, with the audience numbers reflecting the massive interest in soccer as the sport continues to grow in the United States. The preliminary Nielsen ratings released Tuesday far surpassed the previous record of 26.4 million viewers set just days earlier by the U.S.-Bosnia-Herzegovina match in the round of 32.
Despite the loss bringing the Americans’ tournament to an end, the historic television audience underscored how captivated the nation was by the men’s team’s run at a World Cup hosted in North America for the first time since 1994. The viewing figures also eclipsed other major American sporting events in recent memory, including this summer’s NBA Finals, which averaged more than 20 million viewers.
Belgium’s dominant performance at Lumen Field in Seattle eliminated the last of the tournament’s three co-hosts. The U.S. had won its group in group play and survived a round of 32 match against Bosnia-Herzegovina, marking the team’s first knockout-stage victory in 24 years. But against Belgium, the Americans struggled from the start, committing defensive errors that the European side punished with efficiency.
Charles De Ketelaere opened the scoring for Belgium just nine minutes into the match after a defensive breakdown. Malik Tillman equalized with a free kick in the 31st minute, briefly giving American fans hope, but De Ketelaere restored Belgium’s lead just 61 seconds later. In the second half, a critical mistake from U.S. goalkeeper Matt Freese on an attempted clearance led to Hans Vanaken’s goal, effectively ending any chance of an American comeback. Romelu Lukaku added a fourth goal in stoppage time to seal Belgium’s advancement to the quarterfinals.
The loss came despite the U.S. having arrived at the tournament with one of its most talented rosters ever assembled. The team had won consecutive matches for the second time in World Cup history and won its group for the first time since 2010. The Americans scored 11 goals across the tournament, the most in U.S. World Cup history.
The match was not without controversy. Forward Folarin Balogun, whose red card suspension from an earlier game was overturned following pressure from U.S. Soccer and President Donald Trump, was able to play but failed to make an impact on the match. Star forward Christian Pulisic, who had struggled with injuries throughout the tournament, was forced off in the 59th minute with an ankle injury that left him visibly frustrated.
The combined Spanish-language audience told another part of the record-breaking story. NBC and Telemundo announced Tuesday that approximately 12 million people watched the game in Spanish, putting it on track to become the highest total audience for a Team USA soccer match in Spanish-language media history.
The viewership numbers came despite the disappointing outcome, highlighting how American interest in soccer has surged in recent years. The previous record for an English-language soccer broadcast in the U.S. had been set just days earlier when the USMNT beat Bosnia-Herzegovina 26.4 million viewers. That record fell almost immediately as Americans tuned in hoping to see their team advance past the Round of 16, where the men’s program has struggled historically.
The U.S. men’s team has reached the quarterfinals only once in the modern era, back in 2002 when it shocked Mexico with a 2-0 victory. Since then, the team has consistently fallen in the Round of 16 despite entering tournaments with increasing expectations. With the elimination Monday, the Americans’ focus turns to how the program can build on this World Cup experience for future competitions.