The number is in for the 2022 World Cup Final viewership. And it’s a massive one.

Almost 26 million people watched the 2022 World Cup Final on US TV and streaming. The Argentina-France final is the second most-watched men’s World Cup final in US television and streaming history.

In total, 25.783 million watched one of the best World Cup finals across FOX, Telemundo, Peacock and other streaming services.

While an impressive number, it didn’t surpass the record viewing audience for a men’s World Cup final. That was 27.314 million for the 2014 World Cup final across ESPN and Univision featuring Argentina versus Germany.

For the Final in 2014, more than 17.3 million watched on ABC. Most recently in the 2018 Final, the average viewership in the United States was just under 12 million, while it peaked at 15 million.

2022 World Cup viewership: Crunching the numbers

Looking closer at the numbers, the total audience for the game on FOX and its streaming services was 16,783,000. Across on Spanish-language network Telemundo, Peacock and its streaming services, 9,000,000 viewers watched from across the United States.

For FOX Sports, it’s the most-watched men’s World Cup game ever on English-language television in the United States.

Prior to the tournament starting, FOX Sports’ lead producer for its World Cup coverage predicted that England vs USA on Black Friday would be in the top five most-watched games in US soccer history. The viewing number was 15.491 million. While it was a big number, it was nowhere near the top 5 most-watched games.

While the 2022 World Cup Final viewership was impressive and it didn’t surpass 2014, the viewing record is likely to be smashed in 2026. During the 2026 World Cup, it’ll be hosted in the United States, Mexico and Canada. As a result, the viewing times will be far more convenient for residents in the United States.

Photo credit: IMAGO / Laci Perenyi