The United States faces Belgium in the Round of 16 Monday night on Fox and Telemundo, with analysts expecting another record-breaking television audience.
The U.S. victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina drew an average of 24.43 million viewers, according to preliminary Nielsen numbers, making it the largest English-language TV audience ever for a soccer match in the United States.
That figure includes pre-match coverage and surpasses the previous record of 22.32 million viewers set during the 2015 Women’s World Cup final between the U.S. and Japan, also on Fox.
The combined Fox and Telemundo audience for the Bosnia match reached 33 million viewers, the most ever recorded for a U.S. soccer broadcast across any platform.
This year’s tournament group stage averaged nearly 5.1 million U.S. viewers across 72 matches on Fox, FS1, and Tubi, representing a 92% increase over 2022 viewership figures.
That group stage performance marks the most-watched FIFA Men’s World Cup Group Stage telecast average in English-language U.S. broadcasting history, underscoring the sport’s rapid growth in America.
The ratings surge arrives amid a fierce political controversy after President Trump asked FIFA president Gianni Infantino for “a review” of the red card issued to U.S. striker Folarin Balogun.
The red card decision was subsequently reversed under what FIFA describes as “Article 27,” a provision the organization reserves for specific circumstances, with the reversal announced on Sunday.
FIFA has insisted the decision came from an independent judicial panel, with Infantino denying that his conversation with Trump influenced the outcome in any way.
UEFA, the European soccer governing body, responded sharply, calling the reversal “incomprehensible and unjustifiable” and signaling deep frustration within the broader international football community.
Belgium coach Rudi Garcia added a cutting remark of his own, saying “I didn’t know that July 5 was April 1,” capturing the skepticism felt widely across the soccer world.
An unnamed Norwegian coach also weighed in, calling the red card reversal “a big mistake” and adding another dissenting voice to the growing chorus of international criticism.
The episode marks the second time in 2026 that a major U.S. televised sports moment has transformed into a politically charged referendum on the Trump administration.
With the Belgium match expected to draw a massive audience, both the sporting drama and the political fallout are likely to keep millions of Americans tuned in Monday night.
