CONMEBOL’s Copa América is arguably the second-biggest international soccer tournament in the world, after only the FIFA World Cup. With some of the best teams and players on Earth taking part, it’s easy to see why the competition has such prestige. But how many fans watch Copa America every four years?
Soccer fans flock to watch Copa America
As the 21st century has rolled on, Copa America has become much easier for fans in the USA to watch. To the point where now, every game can be seen live.
This in turn has led to huge TV viewership numbers as fans tune in to these high-quality matches.
In 2016 for the Copa América Centenario tournament staged in the USA, FOX Sports’ coverage averaged over 1 million viewers. Adding in Spanish coverage on Univision that year, live coverage of Copa averaged over 4 million viewers.
The 2019 and 2021 editions pulled in similarly large numbers. 2019 averaged 1.2 million viewers on Telemundo. In Spanish, the 2021 final match pulled in 3.5 million total viewers on Univision. Overall, knockout games averaged 1.8 million total viewers in Spanish that year. Early group games also drew big figures. Around 1.8 million watched the 2021 Final in English on FS1.
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Comparing Copa to other big events
Copa América is a huge draw for TV networks in the USA.
But it’s still nowhere near the World Cup in terms of capturing the public’s attention. A total of nearly 26 million people watched the 2022 World Cup Final across FOX, Telemundo, and streaming. But that wasn’t even the all-time record! In 2014, over 27 million watched the final game of the World Cup between Argentina and Germany across all platforms.
Worldwide, FIFA claims that over 1.5 BILLION people watched the 2022 World Cup Final.
Compare that to the 56 million that tuned in across the world for the most recent NFL Super Bowl, and it’s easy to see just how massive the World Cup is.
The recent MLS Cup final averaged just shy of 900,000 total viewers, which is comparable to many Copa América games. But usually, most domestic soccer games in the US draw far fewer eyeballs than any Copa matches.
Looking ahead to 2024, once again Copa América will be competing with UEFA’s Euro tournament for the attention of soccer fans in the USA. Euros will air during the morning and day, while Copa will take the evening shift.
Ratings between the two have been comparable in the past, so it’s unlikely viewer fatigue will set in. Soccer fans will no doubt eat up all the world-class international soccer they can get.
Photo: Imago
