The FIFA World Cup is the most-watched sporting event on the planet—nothing else comes close.
In 2022, the final between Argentina and France—where Lionel Messi finally lifted the trophy—pulled in a staggering 1.5 billion viewers worldwide. Across the entire tournament, FIFA estimates that around five billion people tuned in at some point.
That’s more than the Olympic Games, more than the Super Bowl, and more than any other global sporting spectacle.
With the 2026 World Cup taking place across the United States, Canada and Mexico—and featuring a record 48 teams—audience figures are expected to climb even higher. A larger field, three host nations, friendlier broadcast windows for audiences in the Americas and a growing soccer culture in the U.S. all point toward record-breaking global viewership.
So just how many people will tune in?
How Many People Will Watch the 2026 World Cup?
Right now, the exact numbers are still speculative—but if you listen to the people running (and playing in) the sport, the 2026 World Cup is set to smash every viewership record in history.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has already likened the tournament to having “104 Super Bowls in one month.”
“The Super Bowl, which is fantastic, has what, 120–130 million viewers?” Infantino told FOX Sports. “The World Cup has six billion.”
FIFA expects more than five million fans to attend the tournament’s 104 matches across ther United States, Canada and Mexico—a figure that would break the in-person attendance record set at USA ’94, the last time America hosted the World Cup.
As for global viewership, FIFA is projecting around six billion people will engage with the tournament in some form—streaming, highlights or traditional broadcasts—which would make it the most-watched sporting event in history.
2026 World Cup Will Be the Biggest Ever
“It’s going to be the biggest sporting event in the history of the world,” U.S. men’s national team legend Landon Donovan told reporters in June. His former USMNT teammate Alexi Lalas added: “When all is said and done, this has the potential to be the biggest event in history.”
Given that the U.S. shattered attendance records in 1994, combined with the sport’s explosive growth in the States, rapidly rising global World Cup audiences and an unprecedented record number of televised matches, there’s every reason to believe they’re right.
Everything points toward the 2026 World Cup becoming the largest, most-watched World Cup ever staged.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as 2026 World Cup: The Most-Watched Sporting Event in History?.
