World Cup Fans Embrace American Culture During Tournament
Host Aisha Husny and FOX News contributor Joe Concha explored the cultural experiences of foreign fans attending the FIFA World Cup in the United States. Social media is buzzing with posts from fans enjoying American staples like Waffle House and Big Gulps. A particularly heartwarming video featured Scotland fans celebrating their team amidst bagpipe music in a New England area.
In a remarkable match, the U.S. men’s national team triumphed over Paraguay, marking the first World Cup match on U.S. soil since 1994. The game drew an impressive crowd of 70,492 at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, and the performance was exhilarating—perhaps the most uplifting display many American soccer enthusiasts have ever witnessed. The scoreboard was certainly notable, but the viewership numbers shared by FOX Sports were even more remarkable.
On Saturday, FOX Sports announced that the 4-1 victory garnered a staggering 15.986 million viewers, becoming “the most-watched USMNT FIFA Men’s World Cup telecast in U.S. English history.” Clearly, the American fans stepped up in response to the team’s impressive showing.
For context, the U.S. men’s national team’s opening match against Wales in 2022 attracted about 11.7 million viewers. That’s a jaw-dropping 106% increase in this latest match’s viewership. Peak viewership during the game reached as high as 18.86 million. While it was expected that playing at home against a strong opponent would attract more viewers, this was undeniably a historic occasion.
Interestingly, the first game of the NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs averaged a little over 16 million viewers. So, the USMNT’s viewership was not too far behind one of America’s biggest sporting events right now. It’s quite an achievement for a soccer game, especially during the World Cup.
If the team manages another standout performance against Australia on Friday, it’s likely that even more Americans who typically don’t watch soccer will join in, feeling the swell of national pride.
This moment also presents an excellent opportunity to grow soccer’s popularity in the U.S.—Major League Soccer could look to attract new fans and turn some of its players into household names. The NHL has successfully built on momentum from international competitions, so it could be beneficial for MLS to follow suit.
Mark your calendars: the USMNT will face off against Australia on Friday, June 19th at 3 PM ET at Lumen Field in Seattle, Washington.
