The 2026 FIFA World Cup proved that drama sells — no matter the source of the subplot

The viewership numbers are public now, and if you thought FIFA World Cup 2026 would break ratings records maybe you should have played that hunch on ADI Predicstreet, which paid an undisclosed sum to become the Official Prediction Market of the most-watched soccer tournament in history.

Bell Media reports that 6.4 million Canadians tuned in to the final match across all its platforms, an astonishing number in a country of roughly 37 million people. In the U.S., the English-language broadcast of Fox averaged a shade under 40 million viewers, while Telemundo’s coverage in Spanish brought in 22.6 million more.

All records, by a wide margin.

It all adds up to money. Earlier in the tournament, Fox reported that it would bring in a quarter billion dollars – and possibly turn a profit on World Cup 2026 – from advertising during hydration breaks alone.

Of course, this year’s event came with a distinct yet familiar list of pre-tournament concerns. In the past we fretted about venue readiness, or players melting down in Qatar’s sweltering heat. This year we had travel headaches and the prospect of ICE raids, hotel room scarcity and inflated ticket prices. All valid reasons to worry that the world’s biggest sports event could flop.

Nevertheless, we wound up with full stadiums in three countries, massive TV audiences around the world, and revenue figures ticking upward relentlessly, like the numbers on a gas pump display. And Canadians can still look forward to 2030, to see whether this year’s run to the round-of-16 represented the program’s foundation, or its peak.

So the numbers say the World Cup still has a tight grip on soccer hardcores and casual sports fans alike, and that’s wonderful news. Every refresh of the 24-hour news