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.

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.

Nearly eight years to the day since the 2026 FIFA World Cup was awarded to the United States, Mexico, and Canada, and the opening day of competition is finally here. At 3 p.m. ET on Thursday, Mexico will kick off this summer’s World Cup against South Africa at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.

FIFA's new anthem protocol requiring full squads on the pitch during national anthems at World Cup 2026 drew fan criticism during Friday's Mexico vs. South Africa opener

Fox has announced FIFA World Cup on FOX After Hours with James Corden, a new late-night companion series for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, as viewers dissed the former late-show host's return to television

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.

"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.

FOX's World Cup viewers turned to social media to express outrage over the network's decision to air its own pregame coverage instead of the Shakira-led opening ceremony