Updated

Updated · NBC Sports · Jun 21

U.S.-Australia Match Draws 20.68 Million Viewers, Peaking at 19.17 Million on Fox

Updated

Updated · NBC Sports · Jun 21

U.S.-Australia Match Draws 20.68 Million Viewers, Peaking at 19.17 Million on Fox

Q: After a dominant group stage, is the USMNT poised for its deepest-ever World Cup run on home soil?

Yes—but only in the sense that the USMNT has put itself in its best position in years, not that a historic run is now likely. The evidence for optimism is real. The United States has won Group D with authority, beating Paraguay 4-1 and Australia 2-0, scoring six goals and conceding one. The Australia win also delivered the team’s first clean sheet since last September. They have controlled games, generated strong support at home, and secured a favorable logistical path, staying on the West Coast for the Round of 32 in Santa Clara and potentially later rounds in Seattle and Los Angeles. That said, “deepest-ever” sets a very high bar. In the modern era, the U.S. has reached the quarterfinals only once, in 2002, and its overall knockout-round record remains poor. In all-time World Cup history, the 1930 team reached the semifinals, which is still the benchmark. Under the expanded 48-team format, the U.S. must now navigate an extra knockout round, so a Round of 16 appearance alone would not be historic. The team’s path is promising but uncertain. As group winner, the U.S. draws a third-place team in the Round of 32, which is favorable on paper, but the pool can still produce dangerous opponents. Betting markets have shortened U.S. title odds, yet they still place the Americans well outside the top tier of contenders. So the USMNT is poised for a credible quarterfinal push. A semifinal run would be historic, but it remains an outside possibility rather than an expectation.

3 articles · Updated · NBC Sports · Jun 21

20.68 million viewers watched Friday’s United States-Australia match across Fox, Telemundo and Peacock, according to preliminary figures for the afternoon game from Seattle.
14.781 million of that audience came from Fox, while Telemundo and Peacock averaged 5.9 million combined, with official totals likely to rise.
19.169 million viewers tuned in at Fox’s peak from 4:45 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET, topping the 18.86 million peak for the earlier U.S.-Paraguay match.
15.38 million watched the U.S.-England World Cup match in 2022, making Friday’s Fox telecast the most-watched Friday afternoon program since then.
June 25 brings the U.S. group-stage finale against Turkey at 10 p.m. ET, though the Americans have already clinched the group and Turkey is eliminated.