The World Cup isn’t just lifting Fox, it’s also doing wonders for cable network FS1.
It’s almost hard to believe that FS1 has been in existence for 13 years now since its debut in August 2013. The network has been through plenty of changes in its lifespan. When it started, it was very clearly aligned to be a disruptor and competitor for ESPN with Fox’s goal to directly challenge the WorldWide Leader in Sports. Those hopes and dreams never truly came to fruition, though, as FS1 was never able to really land a glove on ESPN’s dominance in cable sports. At least we’ll always have the memories of Fox Sports Live with Jay and Dan.
FS1 has also seen stars come and go with the likes of Skip Bayless, Shannon Sharpe, Joy Taylor, and others. After attempting multiple reboots, the daily programming schedule now centers around Barstool Sports, Colin Cowherd, and its original success story in First Things First with Nick Wright, Chris Broussard, and Kevin Wildes.
But while the FS1 daily lineup is no longer out to realistically compete with Bristol, the truth is that any sports network is as strong as its live sports offering. And this week, the World Cup has seen FS1 reach record heights.
According to Fox Sports executive Michael Mulvihill, FS1 has seen its best week ever in viewership numbers with an average of 885,000 viewers.
Last week was the most-watched week of FS1 in the network’s 13 year history with a total day average audience of 885k.
— Michael Mulvihill (@mulvihill79) June 24, 2026
FS1 has touted some top-tier live sports including MLB playoff games, college football and basketball, and NASCAR races. However, the inventory and popularity of the World Cup is the real catalyst for this milestone.
FS1 is featuring 34 matches throughout this year’s World Cup and the ratings thus far through the group stage have been extraordinary. The cable network has consistently drawn multi-million audience figures for games peaking with 6.18 million viewers for the Portugal-Cape Verde matchup. And as the tournament unfolds, those numbers are only likely to keep going up.
About Matt Yoder