Viewership for previous World Cup finals was only a little higher than for a strong Monday Night Football game, but with matches on U.S. soil, media executives are hopeful this will be the year soccer breaks through.

Considering the Super Bowl is just one day and that the World Cup spans longer than a month, the viewership data favors the latter. In the 2026 tournament, the viewership is predicted to surpass 5 billion people across the world, making that an average of 128.2 million per day across 39 days.

FIFA's major expansion of the World Cup has not drawn universal praise, but it is a significant boost for Fox Corp. and NBCUniversal-owned Telemundo.

The good news for U.S. brands is that U.S. World Cup viewers lead all nations when it comes to daily media consumption - averaging 5.8 hours of TV and online video, 3.5 hours of audio, and 2.8 hours of gaming.

"Over the next six weeks, there will be unforgettable goals, shocking upsets, controversial officiating decisions, viral moments, and storylines that dominate conversations around the globe. Some of those memories will fade.

Four strategies to keep viewers watching Fox One, its direct-to-consumer streaming service, long after the 2026 World Cup ends in July.

Fox is the U.S. television broadcaster of the World Cup, with Fox One as the official streaming service.

Authorities have launched a gigantic crackdown on illegal streaming sites before the 2026 World Cup.