Monday's United States-Belgium World Cup match was the most-watched soccer telecast in U.S. history, Fox Sports reported. According to Fox, the match drew more than 30 million viewers. Viewership peaked at 36 million early in the second half of Monday's match. The United States lost 4-1 to Belgium. Meanwhile, Telemundo said its Spanish-language broadcast reached 12 million viewers, which NBCUniversal said is a record for a U.S. men's national team broadcast. Interest in Monday's match intensified after FIFA announced that Folarin Balogun would be eligible to play against Belgium despite receiving a red card last week against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The United States' match against Bosnia and Herzegovina also set records. Fox said about 26.4 million viewers tuned in, setting what was then the record for an English-language soccer broadcast in the United States. Telemundo said it drew 9.8 million viewers, the largest Spanish-language audience for a U.S. men's national team match. Fox said its World Cup broadcasts have generated significant interest beyond U.S. matches. The network said last week's Portugal-Croatia match drew more than 11 million viewers, making it the most-watched World Cup match on Fox that did not involve the United States or a final. Fox also said its Mexico-Ecuador broadcast last week drew more than 10 million viewers. Meanwhile, Telemundo said its Mexico-England broadcast delivered 23.1 million viewers.