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2010 World Cup Final Becomes Most Watched Soccer Game in U.S. TV History

1 minute read | July 2010

Yesterday’s World Cup Final between Spain and the Netherlands drew a total of 24.3 million U.S. viewers, making it the most watched soccer game in U.S. television history, according to The Nielsen Company. The figure, which includes viewership on both ABC and Univision during the two-and-a-half-hour game window (2:30 to 5pm ET), surpasses the record of 19.4 million viewers that tuned in to the U.S.-Ghana match earlier in this World Cup.

Most Watched Soccer Games in the U.S.
Rank Date Game Network(s) Viewers
1 7/11/2010 Spain-Netherlands ABC/Univision 24.3 million
2 6/26/2010 USA-Ghana ABC/Univision 19.4 million
3 7/17/1994 Brazil-Italy ABC/Univision 18.1 million
4 7/10/1999 USA-China (women) ABC 18.0 million
5 6/12/2010 USA-England ABC/Univision 17.1 million
Source: The Nielsen Company

San Francisco was the top ranked market for the English language broadcast with a 14.5 local household rating. San Diego placed second with a 13.6 household rating, followed bythe New York market with a 13.1 rating.

2010 World Cup Finals (7/11/10)

Local Market Rankings – English Language

Rank Market Rating Share Households (000)
1 San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose 14.7 36 367
2 San Diego 13.6 28 146
3 New York 13.1 30 984
4 MIami-Ft. Lauderdale 12.0 22 184
5 Washington, DC 11.9 25 277
6 Los Angeles 11.3 24 642
7 Austin 10.3 21 70
8 Seattle-Tacoma 10.0 26 183
9 Cincinnati 9.5 19 87
10 Boston (Manchester) 9.1 22 220

Source: The Nielsen Company

The Spanish Language telecast on Univision earned its highest ratings in Miami-Ft. Lauderdale with a 16.8 rating. Los Angeles and Houston followed with 11.5 and 10.2 local household ratings, respectively.

2010 World Cup Finals (7/11/10)

Local Market Rankings – Spanish Language

Rank Market Rating Share Households (000)
1 Miami-Ft. Lauderdale 16.8 31 259
2 Los Angeles 11.9 25 675
3 Houston 10.7 21 228
4 Las Vegas 8.1 15 59
5 San Antonio 6.7 13 56
6 Dallas-Ft. Worth 6.6 14 169
7 Phoenix 5.6 12 104
8 New York 5.4 12 404
9 Austin 5.1 10 35
10 Chicago 4.5 10 158
Source: The Nielsen Company

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