US-Belgium at World Cup is most-watched soccer telecast in US history at 30M viewers, Fox says

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Belgium fans react after the team scored during the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between the United States and Belgium, at a watch party at the Rockefeller Center fan village, Monday, July 6, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)

Fans react to the first goal by the United States at a watch party on the National Mall in Washington for a World Cup round of 16 soccer match between the United States and Belgium, Monday, July 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.) — Belgium fans react after the team scored during the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between the United States and Belgium, at a watch party at the Rockefeller Center fan village, Monday, July 6, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)

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2:52 PM on Tuesday, July 7

By The Associated Press

The U.S. game against Belgium in the round of 16 at the World Cup set another record as the most-watched soccer telecast in U.S. history, Fox said after preliminary ratings came out Tuesday.

Fox said 30 million people watched the game, a 4-1 victory for Belgium on Monday in Seattle to move into the quarterfinals and eliminate the last of the tournament’s three co-hosts. Fox said audience peaked at more than 36.8 million people between 9:15 and 9:30 p.m. Eastern Time.

That topped the previous mark, the U.S.-Bosnia-Herzegovina game last week that Fox said was watched by 26.4 million.

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