U.S. Victory Over Iran Draws 12M Viewers On Fox – Deadline 

The U.S. advanced to the knockout stage of the 2022 World Cup on Tuesday after a 1-0 victory over Iran, which drew an impressive average of 12M viewers on Fox.

The match, which was at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT, peaked from 3:45 p.m. to 4 p.m. ET with about 15.6M people tuning in. It also became the most-streamed World Cup match in Fox Sports history with nearly 1M viewers via digital platforms.

Audiences in the U.S. were eager to see if the USMNT would move on from the Group Stage after a heated match with England that ended in a 0-0 draw on Friday. That match is now one of the most-watched men’s soccer matches ever on U.S. television with an average of 15.4M viewers.

The current all-time record holder is still the USA’s 2-2 draw against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal in 2014, which was watched by 24.7M people.

Friday’s U.S. vs. England match remains by far the most-watched game of the 2022 World Cup so far in the U.S.

The USMNT’s first match of the 2022 World Cup against Wales has been the least-watched of the three thus far, though it was still an impressive average of 8.3M viewers on Fox across broadcast and digital platforms as well as 3.4M viewers for the Spanish-language broadcast.

Next, the U.S. will face the Netherlands on Saturday. That game will air on it the U.S. on Fox, Telemundo and Peacock at 10 a.m. ET.