The match was the most viewed World Cup first round match and fifth most viewed soccer match in the USA ever. It was also the most watched match involving the USMNT since the 1994 World Cup when the national team met Brazil.
A total of 10.8 million watched the three hour telecast of the match (one hour preview) with match time figures considerably higher. In addition, 3.8 million watched Univision’s Spanish broadcast.
Top 5 Most-Viewed FIFA World Cup Telecasts (1994-present):
U.S.-China, Women’s WC Final (ABC, 7/10/99) – 18.0 million viewers (11.4 rating)
Brazil-Italy, WC Final (ABC, 7/17/94) – 14.5 (9.5 rating)
Brazil-U.S., Rd of 16 (ABC, 7/4/94) – 13.7 (9.3 rating)
Italy-France, WC Final (ABC, 7/9/06) – 12.0 (7.0 rating)
U.S.-England, First Rd (ABC, 6/12/10) – 10.8 (6.1 rating) *
* includes pre-match coverage
To put this in perspective, the Boston Celtics vs LA Lakers opening game in this years NBA finals generated 16 million viewers. This February, Super Bowl XLIV, which pitted the Colts against the Saints became the most watched TV program in history, when 105.6 million viewers tuned in.
Clearly, there is a huge gap when it comes to matching these numbers but just a shade under 11 million is an encouraging sign that there is a significant space for soccer in the hugely competitive US market.