The U.S. vs. Australia World Cup match at Lumen Field in Seattle drew a combined audience of more than 20.68 million across Fox, Telemundo, and Peacock, with preliminary averages of 14.781 million on Fox and 5.9 million for the Spanish-language broadcast.
Friday afternoon at Lumen Field in Seattle had the feel of a shift in momentum, and the numbers backed it up immediately. The United States’ World Cup win over Australia pulled in a combined audience of more than 20.68 million viewers on Fox, Telemundo, and Peacock.
Fox announced preliminary viewership of 14.781 million for the match, which began at 3:00 p.m. ET on Friday. The Spanish-language broadcast on Telemundo and Peacock averaged 5.9 million in preliminary figures, according to NBC. Both totals are preliminary, and the official numbers are expected to land higher.
For anyone watching the U.S. broadcast landscape on a Friday afternoon, the peak mattered as much as the average. The audience for the U.S. vs. Australia matchup on Fox surged to 19.169 million between 4:45 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. ET. That peak is higher than the 18.86 million peak for the U.S. vs. Paraguay game, even though Paraguay’s match had a higher total average on Fox at 18.037 million.
The early ratings also place this U.S. performance in rare company. Via Matt Clapp of Awful Announcing, the Fox broadcast was the most-watched Friday afternoon show since the U.S. faced England in the 2022 World Cup, a match that averaged 15.38 million viewers.
The broadcast power is landing at an important moment for the team as well. The U.S. finishes group play on Thursday, June 25, against Turkey. That match is scheduled to start at 10:00 p.m. ET. With the U.S. already clinching the group crown and Turkey eliminated, the game is essentially a friendly.
U.S. vs Australia World Cup Lumen Field viewership Fox Telemundo Peacock 20.68 million ratings group play Turkey