That figure stands as the national team's most watched English-language World Cup telecast ever. The audience was up 106% from USMNT's comparable first group-stage match at the 2022 tournament in Qatar, when the U.S. faced Wales and drew 7.763 million viewers on November 21, 2022. Playing at home with no time zone shift for domestic audiences likely helped push numbers higher on opening day.
The match also became USMNT's most streamed English-language World Cup game to date, recording 1.130 million views. Overall viewership peaked at 18.860 million between 10:45 and 11 PM ET, during the closing stretch of the second half. USMNT returns to the pitch next against Australia on June 19.
