The FIFA Women’s World Cup (WWC) clash between defending champions the US and the Netherlands became the most-watched WWC group-stage match in US history after delivering a record audience for domestic rightsholder Fox, the national network.

Fox said its English-language coverage of the game, which started at 9PM ET and ended with a 1-1 draw on Wednesday (July 26), drew 6.43 million viewers to its channel, spiking to 8.45 million during the game’s final 15 minutes.

Go deeper with GlobalData

Data Insights

The gold standard of business intelligence.

Find out more

The audience numbers include streaming viewership of just under 197,000.

The audience figure surpassed the previous record of 5.34 million viewers for the USA's match against Chile in the 2019 WWC. The US’ first game against Vietnam earlier this week ranked third with 5.26 million viewers.

Additionally, the game's Spanish-language broadcast on Telemundo and Universo averaged around 1.7 million viewers for a total of 7.59 million viewers. However, this figure does not include Telemundo’s streaming coverage on Peacock.

The US team’s next game against Portugal is unlikely to break the new record as it is scheduled for a 3AM ET start on Tuesday (August 1) due to the large time difference between the US and hosts Australia and New Zealand.

How well do you really know your competitors?

Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.

Company Profile – free sample

Thank you!

Your download email will arrive shortly

Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample

We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form

By GlobalData
Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.

Earlier this week, world governing body FIFA announced a new record for ticket sales for the WWC after breaking the 1.5 million target set in France four years ago to become the most attended edition in the tournament’s history.

The majority of the ticket sales have been made in Australia, where over 1.1 million tickets have been bought, boosted by the popularity of the Matildas national team and women’s soccer more broadly.

This year’s edition is the first to feature 32 teams – up from 24 in the 2019 WWC – with an extra 12 matches added to the schedule.

Last week, FIFA secured a raft of late broadcast deals in Asia to complete its final broadcast sales program for the tournament. It also confirmed it had sold out all of its sponsorship packages after announcing four last-minute partners.

Image: Carmen Mandato/USSF/Getty Images