World Cup final draws 66.4 million US viewers

The World Cup final between Spain and Argentina on Sunday attracted an average U.S. television audience of 66.4 million viewers, making it one of the most-watched sporting events in the country in decades.

Fox reported the record-setting figure on Tuesday, citing Nielsen data for its television broadcast and Adobe Analytics data for streaming viewers. An average of 42.5 million people watched Spain defeat Argentina 1-0 on Fox, while 23.9 million viewers tuned in to Telemundo’s Spanish-language coverage.

According to Fox, the match became the largest U.S. television audience for a non-Super Bowl sporting event since the 1994 Winter Olympics. Sports Media Watch also reported that it was the biggest audience for a non-NFL event or news program since the finale of the hit television series “Seinfeld” in 1998.

The historic viewership capped a five-week tournament that captured widespread attention across the United States as the country co-hosted the World Cup with Canada and Mexico. It marked the first time since 1994 that the U.S. hosted men’s World Cup matches.

The Spain-Argentina final followed strong viewership numbers throughout the tournament, including the U.S. men’s national team’s round of 16 defeat to Belgium, which averaged 50.1 million viewers. The Mexico-England round of 16 match also drew a massive audience, with 46.7 million viewers watching on average.

—Field Level Media/Reuters