<div><figure class="image"></figure></div>
<p>The USWNT TV ratings in 2021 dropped, as did the attendance. This compounded what came out to be a, simply put, terrible year for the United States Women’s National Team.</p>
<p>The main competition in 2021 was the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. For the second-straight Olympics, the USWNT failed to <em>reach </em>the gold medal game. The squad did manage to bring him a bronze medal, but the talent on the team expects gold.</p>
<p>COVID-19 still presented an issue for in-person attendance. The USWNT dropped its attendance numbers compared to 2019, the last year with full attendance. In fact, the total attendance hit its lowest average since 2014, with <a href="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/2021/12/27/uswnt-attendance-in-2021-dips-due-to-covid-lack-of-success/#comments" target="_blank" rel="noopener">12,703 spectators</a> at each game.</p>
<p>Therefore, it comes as no surprise that the TV ratings dropped dramatically as well. Here’s what the numbers looked like.</p>
<h3>USWNT TV Ratings in 2021</h3>
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<table class="tableizer-table">
<thead>
<tr class="tableizer-firstrow">
<th>Date</th>
<th>Competition</th>
<th>Opponent</th>
<th>TV Channel</th>
<th>Viewership</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>January 18</td>
<td>Friendly</td>
<td>Colombia</td>
<td>FS1</td>
<td>396,000</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>January 22</td>
<td>Friendly</td>
<td>Colombia</td>
<td>ESPN2</td>
<td>317,000</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>February 18</td>
<td>She Believes Cup</td>
<td>Canada</td>
<td>FS1</td>
<td>498,000</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>February 21</td>
<td>She Believes Cup</td>
<td>Brazil</td>
<td>FS1</td>
<td>568,000</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>February 24</td>
<td>She Believes Cup</td>
<td>Argentina</td>
<td>FS1</td>
<td>530,000</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>April 10</td>
<td>Friendly</td>
<td>Sweden</td>
<td>FOX</td>
<td>713,000</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>April 13</td>
<td>Friendly</td>
<td>France</td>
<td>ESPN2</td>
<td>288,000</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>June 10</td>
<td>Friendly</td>
<td>Portugal</td>
<td>FS1</td>
<td>383,000</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>June 13</td>
<td>Friendly</td>
<td>Jamaica</td>
<td>FS1</td>
<td>499,000</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>June 16</td>
<td>Friendly</td>
<td>Nigeria</td>
<td>ESPN2</td>
<td>392,000</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>July 1</td>
<td>Friendly</td>
<td>Mexico</td>
<td>FS1</td>
<td>496,000</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>July 5</td>
<td>Friendly</td>
<td>Mexico</td>
<td>ESPN</td>
<td>694,000</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>July 21</td>
<td>Olympics</td>
<td>Sweden</td>
<td>USA</td>
<td>148,000</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>July 24</td>
<td>Olympics</td>
<td>New Zealand</td>
<td>NBCSN</td>
<td>687,000</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>July 27</td>
<td>Olympics</td>
<td>Australia</td>
<td>USA</td>
<td>219,000</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>July 30</td>
<td>Olympics</td>
<td>Netherlands</td>
<td>NBCSN</td>
<td>727,000</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>August 2</td>
<td>Olympics</td>
<td>Canada</td>
<td>USA</td>
<td>150,000</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>August 5</td>
<td>Olympics</td>
<td>Australia</td>
<td>USA</td>
<td>330,000</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>September 16</td>
<td>Friendly</td>
<td>Paraguay</td>
<td>ESPN2</td>
<td>292,000</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>September 21</td>
<td>Friendly</td>
<td>Paraguay</td>
<td>FS1</td>
<td>211,000</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>October 21</td>
<td>Friendly</td>
<td>South Korea</td>
<td>ESPN2</td>
<td>287,000</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>October 26</td>
<td>Friendly</td>
<td>South Korea</td>
<td>FS1</td>
<td>299,000</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>November 26</td>
<td>Friendly</td>
<td>Australia</td>
<td>FS2</td>
<td>120,000</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Despite the drop compared to previous years, 2021 actually showed an improvement compared to 2020. On average, 401,913 people watched the U.S. this past year. That shows a nearly 80,000-person increase from the nine games in 2020 pulling 322,667. Of course, that year had less games and less competition due to the pandemic.</p>
<p>Going back a year prior, 1,996,917 was the average TV audience in 2019. the USWNT TV ratings represent an 80% drop compared to that year. Again, this is not the fairest comparison. A massive drop compared to a Women’s World Cup year is to be expected.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, the ratings also dipped compared to the previous Summer Olympics year. Back in 2016, the WNT averaged 679,455 viewers per game over 22 games.</p>
<h5>Reasons for drop in viewership</h5>
<p>The biggest culprit for less viewers is something out of the country’s control. Time difference plays a role when the games happen at 3 a.m. ET.</p>
<p>In the previous major tournaments, the host countries created favorable time slots for fans of the USWNT. In 2015, The Women’s World Cup was in Canada before going to France in 2019. The 2016 Summer Olympics were in Rio de Janeiro. Unfortunately for the fans of the USWNT, Tokyo is on the other side of the International Date Line. Therefore, all of the USWNT games at the Olympics kicked off very early in the morning. A number of games kicked off in the <a href="https:\/\/www.ussoccer.com/stories/2021/07/2020-tokyo-olympics-uswnt-vs-netherlands-preview-schedule-tv-channels-start-time#:~:text=The%20semifinals%20will%20be%20played,5)." target="_blank" rel="noopener">2 a.m. to 4 a.m. window</a>.</p>
<p>It’s not a coincidence that their two most watched games at the Olympics were the two that kicked off closer to 7am. None of the six games in Tokyo reaching a million viewers is a stark contrast to 2016. That year, all four games drew over a million viewers.</p>
<p>It’s also worth noting that Spanish-language viewing figures for USWNT games are incredibly difficult to find. In fact, only three games had numbers: the July 1 friendly against Mexico drew 171,000 on TUDN. Then, the Olympic opener against Sweden drew 51,000 on Telemundo. Finally, the second group stage Olympic game against New Zealand drew 209,000 viewers on Telemundo.</p>
<p>And finally the WNT viewership was also lower than MNT viewership (in English language only) for the first time since 2018 as the WNT drew 46% fewer viewers than their male counterparts with the MNT drawing 745,625 over 14 games in 2021. Factoring in the Spanish language numbers it’s even worse as the MNT drew a combined 1,528,381 viewers per game compared to just a combined 420,652 per game for the WNT.</p>


After a struggle on the field, comparatively speaking, we take a look at the USWNT TV ratings in 2021 and how they compare to 2020 and 2019.

USWNT TV ratings in 2021 down compared to previous years - World Soccer Talk

USWNT TV ratings in 2021 down compared to previous years

<div id="attachment_365820" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><div><figure class="image"></figure></div><p id="caption-attachment-365820" class="wp-caption-text">Photo by John Todd/ISI Photos/Getty Images</p></div>
<p>Much like attendance, the USMNT TV ratings in 2021 gauge the popularity and growth of soccer in the country.</p>
<p>Ratings for the Premier League and the Champions League grew over recent years. Consequently, soccer found its niche in the diverse American sporting landscape.</p>
<p>However, the USMNT TV ratings always seemed to fluctuate depending on a variety of factors. That is, unsurprisingly, things such as team form, opponent, the competition among other things.</p>
<p>As was the case with <a href="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/2021/12/23/usmnt-annual-attendance-show-8-increase-since-2019/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">crowds at games</a>, TV ratings for the US were almost non-existent in 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic certainly hampered the consistency and availability of games. Then, 2021 saw viewers start to tune back in as the US started to rack up the wins and accumulate some hardware. As you see below, it is important to account for English- and Spanish-language coverage of the team. The diversity of the nation is not catered to by just one language.</p>
<h3>USMNT TV Ratings in 2021</h3>
<h5>Friendlies</h5>
<p>Friendlies come throughout the year, with the bulk of these coming at the start. The USMNT wrapped up its 2022 schedule in December against Bosnia &amp; Herzegovina ahead of World Cup Qualifying in January.</p>
<p>Spanish-language viewing figures for the friendlies against Trinidad &amp; Tobago, Jamaica, and Switzerland are unavailable.</p>
<p>Here is how the USMNT TV rating in 2021 stacked up for friendlies</p>
<table class="tableizer-table">
<thead>
<tr class="tableizer-firstrow">
<th>Opponent</th>
<th>English TV Channel</th>
<th>English TV Audience</th>
<th>Spanish TV Channel</th>
<th>Spanish TV Audience</th>
<th>Total Audience</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Trinidad &amp; Tobago</td>
<td>FS1</td>
<td>258,000</td>
<td>–</td>
<td>–</td>
<td>258,000</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Jamaica</td>
<td>ESPN2</td>
<td>267,000</td>
<td>–</td>
<td>–</td>
<td>267,000</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Northern Ireland</td>
<td>FOX</td>
<td>835,000</td>
<td>TUDN</td>
<td>123,000</td>
<td>958,000</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Switzerland</td>
<td>ESPN2</td>
<td>476,000</td>
<td>–</td>
<td>–</td>
<td>476,000</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Costa Rica</td>
<td>ESPN2</td>
<td>355,000</td>
<td>TUDN</td>
<td>120,000</td>
<td>475,000</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Bosnia &amp; Herzegovina</td>
<td>FS1</td>
<td>216,000</td>
<td>TUDN</td>
<td>106,000</td>
<td>322,000</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<h5>Nations League</h5>
<p>The English-language rights to the <a href="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/concacaf-nations-league-schedule/">CONCACAF Nations League</a> belonged to CBS. With games airing on CBS Sports, Nielsen does not report these numbers. Therefore, only the Spanish-language audience is available.</p>
<table class="tableizer-table">
<thead>
<tr class="tableizer-firstrow">
<th>Opponent</th>
<th>English TV Channel</th>
<th>English TV Audience</th>
<th>Spanish TV Channel</th>
<th>Spanish TV Audience</th>
<th>Total Audience</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Honduras</td>
<td>CBS Sports</td>
<td>–</td>
<td>Univision</td>
<td>1,300,000</td>
<td>1,300,000</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Mexico</td>
<td>CBS Sports</td>
<td>–</td>
<td>Univision</td>
<td>4,200,000</td>
<td>4,200,000</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<h5>Gold Cup</h5>
<p>The Gold Cup is a biennial event that regularly sees the USMNT advance far. This year, a young USMNT roster won in a dramatic final against Mexico.</p>
<table class="tableizer-table">
<thead>
<tr class="tableizer-firstrow">
<th>Opponent</th>
<th>English TV Channel</th>
<th>English TV Audience</th>
<th>Spanish TV Channel</th>
<th>Spanish TV Audience</th>
<th>Total Audience</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Haiti</td>
<td>FS1</td>
<td>719,000</td>
<td>Univision</td>
<td>1,300,000</td>
<td>2,019,000</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Martinique</td>
<td>FS1</td>
<td>747,000</td>
<td>TUDN</td>
<td>266,000</td>
<td>1,013,000</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Canada</td>
<td>FOX</td>
<td>1,400,000</td>
<td>TUDN</td>
<td>327,000</td>
<td>1,727,000</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Jamaica</td>
<td>FS1</td>
<td>705,000</td>
<td>Univision</td>
<td>1,529,000</td>
<td>2,234,000</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Qatar</td>
<td>FS1</td>
<td>863,000</td>
<td>TUDN</td>
<td>365,000</td>
<td>1,228,000</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Mexico</td>
<td>FS1</td>
<td>1,751,000</td>
<td>Univision</td>
<td>5,700,000</td>
<td>7,450,000</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<h5>World Cup Qualifying</h5>
<p>In the same fashion as the CONCACAF Nations League, CBS holds the rights to <a href="https:\/\/paramountplus.qflm.net/e4QgM1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">select games in World Cup Qualifying</a>. With the development of streaming, these games aired exclusively on Paramount+. In fact, these are all the road games for the USMNT.</p>
<p>ESPN and FOX split the coverage of the home games, with viewership numbers below.</p>
<table class="tableizer-table">
<thead>
<tr class="tableizer-firstrow">
<th>Opponent</th>
<th>English TV Channel</th>
<th>English TV Audience</th>
<th>Spanish TV Channel</th>
<th>Spanish TV Audience</th>
<th>Total Audience</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>@ El Salvador</td>
<td>Paramount+</td>
<td>–</td>
<td>Universo</td>
<td>246,000</td>
<td>246,000</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Canada</td>
<td>FS1</td>
<td>776,000</td>
<td>UniMas</td>
<td>834,000</td>
<td>1,610,000</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>@ Honduras</td>
<td>Paramount+</td>
<td>–</td>
<td>Universo</td>
<td>270,000</td>
<td>270,000</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Jamaica</td>
<td>ESPN2</td>
<td>596,000</td>
<td>TUDN</td>
<td>192,000</td>
<td>788,000</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>@ Panama</td>
<td>Paramount+</td>
<td>–</td>
<td>Universo</td>
<td>195,000</td>
<td>195,000</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Costa Rica</td>
<td>ESPN2</td>
<td>651,000</td>
<td>TUDN</td>
<td>249,000</td>
<td>900,000</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Mexico</td>
<td>ESPN2</td>
<td>1,315,000</td>
<td>Univision</td>
<td>2,645,000</td>
<td>3,960,000</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>@ Jamaica</td>
<td>Paramount+</td>
<td>–</td>
<td>Universo</td>
<td>200,000</td>
<td>200,000</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<h3>Breaking down the numbers</h3>
<p>Many of these comparisons go against the previous year to see development. Based on the state of the world in 2020, that may not be fair. Therefore, comparisons to 2019 may seem more applicable to gauge the sport, and the USMNT’s, improvement of fallbacks.</p>
<p>In 2021, the USMNT averaged 745,625 viewers per game on English-language TV. This number represents an increase of 294% compared to 2020. However, that year, the USMNT played just three games, pulling in 189,333 viewers per game. More accurately, it marks a 1% increase of the ratings for 2019. That year, the US played 18 games on English TV. Additionally, this is the highest average since 2017, also the year before a World Cup. In 2017, the USMNT TV ratings averaged 819,842 throughout its 19 games.</p>
<p>For Spanish-language TV, an average of 1,061,421 viewers tuned in to the USMNT games this year. This is an astounding increase of 378% over a two-game average of 222,000 in 2020. But, again, the better comparison would be to 2019. This past year’s average Spanish viewership was an increase of 8% over an 18-game average of 981,556 back in 2019. And, just like the English viewing figures, 2021 was the best year for the USMNT on Spanish TV since 2017. An average of 1,138,579 watched the 19 games in that year.</p>
<p>At the end of the year, the total combined audience came out to 32,096,000. Over the 22 games, the average English- and Spanish-language audience came out to 1,528,381. On one hand, this is a stark 504% increase in average viewership compared to 2020. However, it is a surprising dip of 18% when compared to the average of 1,858,556 in 2019.</p>
<div class="ckeditor-em"><iframe loading="lazy" width="100%" height="300" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https:\/\/w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A\/\/api.soundcloud.com/tracks/1020065017&amp;color=%23ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;show_teaser=true&amp;visual=true"></iframe></div>
<div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;"><a href="https:\/\/soundcloud.com/worldsoccertalk" title="World Soccer Talk Podcast" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener">World Soccer Talk Podcast</a> · <a href="https:\/\/soundcloud.com/worldsoccertalk/the-state-of-the-usmnt" title="The State of the USMNT" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener">The State of the USMNT</a></div>


With crowds rising, how did the USMNT TV ratings in 2021 compare to 2020 and 2019, as well as the last World Cup Qualifying cycle?

USMNT TV ratings in 2021 steady compared to 2019 - World Soccer Talk

USMNT TV ratings in 2021 steady compared to 2019

<p><a href="http:\/\/www.majorleaguesoccertalk.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/mls-logo.jpg"></a></p><div><figure class="image"><a href="http:\/\/www.majorleaguesoccertalk.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/mls-logo.jpg"></a></figure></div><p></p>
<p>Major League Soccer’s decision to take only part of the month of June off for the World Cup has come under some scrutiny in recent weeks.</p>
<p>Supporters of the schedule, and likely&nbsp;MLS&nbsp;owners as well, point to the potential for a World Cup TV ratings and interest bounce for the league. The thinking is that fans of the sport, with their appetites duly whetted, will be more likely to tune in for MLS games after checking out the action in South Africa.</p>
<p>Is it happening?</p>
<p>It may be too early to tell for sure, but there is some data available.</p>
<p>Seattle’s visit to Philadelphia for the opening of PPL Park had a 5 p.m. time slot on ESPN2 last Sunday. The Union won the game, 3-1, and drew a 0.2 rating, which equates to roughly 331,000 viewers.</p>
<p>That’s down slightly from a similar date and slightly later time slot last year, <a title="article" href="http:\/\/sportsmediawatch.blogspot.com/2010/06/ratings-game_30.html" target="_blank">according to Sports Media Watch,</a> but up significantly from other MLS broadcasts on ESPN so far this year (about 80 percent).</p>
<p>When the numbers come in for the Houston/Toronto game tonight on ESPN2, we’ll have an even better idea of what effect the 2010 World Cup might be having on MLS TV ratings.</p>


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USWNT TV ratings in 2021 down compared to previous years

TV Ratings

USMNT TV ratings in 2021 steady compared to 2019

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MLS Ratings – Is There A World Cup Bounce?