The United States’ 2-0 win over Bolivia in the CONMEBOL Copa America 2024 on Sunday night produced a record audience for a non-World Cup game for Fox Sports.
On Monday, Fox announced an audience of 3.165 million viewers for the match. That’s the network’s most-watched non-World Cup soccer broadcast ever and the most-watched English-language Copa America broadcast in the United States.
Viewership was up 108% from the average for USMNT group stage matches in 2016’s Copa America Centenario (1.521 million), which also took place in the U.S. Those three group stage matches all aired on FS1, rather than the Fox broadcast network.
This is your obligatory reminder that out-of-home viewing was not tracked for the Copa America Centenario, nor any other tournaments before 2020.
The viewership was also up 191% from the one USMNT Concacaf Gold Cup match to air on Fox last summer (vs Trinidad & Tobago, 1.088 million viewers).
The win over Bolivia, which began at 6 p.m. ET, had a lead-in from even more soccer. Fox aired the UEFA Euro 2024 match between Germany and Switzerland at 3 p.m. ET, with Hungary-Scotland airing at the same time on FS1. Viewership for neither game has been reported or announced as of Monday afternoon.
Copa America started strong on Thursday, with 1.056 million viewers watching Argentina (and Lionel Messi) defeating Canada 2-0 on FS1, the network’s fourth-most-watched non-United States, non-World Cup match ever.
The USMNT’s Copa America continues on Thursday, June 27 with a matchup against Panama airing at 6 p.m. ET on Fox. The group stage concludes on Monday, July 1 against Uruguay, which airs at 9 p.m. ET on FS1. Argentina’s tournament continues with matches on FS1 on Tuesday, June 25 and Saturday, June 29, while Brazil will play on Monday, June 24, Friday, June 28, and Tuesday, July 2, with each of the three airing on FS1.
About Joe Lucia
I hate your favorite team. I also sort of hate most of my favorite teams.