America’s World Cup is a major success—off the field, at least

All three host nations have been eliminated from the 2026 World Cup, after falling in the Round of 16 earlier this month.

But outside of exiting the tournament a few rounds earlier than they’d hoped, the World Cup has been a smashing success for the US, Canada, and Mexico.

The numbers are hard to ignore

Team USA’s Round-of-16 loss to Belgium drew a combined 50.1 million viewers on Fox and Telemundo, the largest soccer audience ever recorded in the US, even with the Americans losing 4–1.

• Mexico’s clash with England brought in 46.7 million US viewers, while nearly 80,000 fans packed Estadio Azteca.
• Through the round of 16, FIFA reported 6.26 million fans attended matches, filling 99.7% of available seats with an average crowd of 65,204.

It shows no signs of slowing: The tournament now heads into a dream semifinal slate: France vs. Spain (today; 2 pm CT) and England vs. Argentina (tomorrow; 2 pm CT).

The matchups feature some of the sport’s biggest stars, including Argentinian legend Lionel Messi, French superstar Kylian Mbappé, English strikers Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham, and Spain’s teenage sensation Lamine Yamal.

Can the US remain a soccer country?

Historically, American soccer enthusiasm has spiked during World Cups before fading once the tournament ends. Soccer historian Stephen Brandt compared the phenomenon to the Olympics or March Madness: huge attention for a few weeks, then a quick return to normal.

Looking way ahead…Analysts say this year’s World Cup success - on track to bring in $9 billion for FIFA, or ~$2 billion more than 2022 - has boosted the chances of the world’s biggest sporting event returning to North America in 2038.