World Baseball Classic final attracted historic viewership with over 10M watching on FOX

Salvador Perez talks with Ken Rosenthal about what it would mean for Venezuela to win the country's first-ever World Baseball Classic.

Venezuela defeated Team USA, 3-2, in the World Baseball Classic (WBC) final Tuesday, and the game was historic in more ways than one.

Venezuela won its first-ever WBC title, and players flooded the field with emotion and pride as they celebrated the thrilling victory. 

History was also made during the telecast when 10,784,000 viewers watched the final on FOX and FOX Deportes. 

It became the most-watched WBC telecast of all time. 

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Fox Sports broadcaster Tom Verducci interviews MVP Maikel Garcia of Venezuela and his translator after a 3-2 victory against the United States at loanDepot Park March 17, 2026, in Miami, Fla. (Al Bello/Getty Images)

The telecast averaged 10,228,000 viewers, while hitting its peak at 12,148,000 from 10:30-10:45 p.m. ET on FOX. 

This number was up 128% from the Team USA-Japan WBC final on FS1 during the 2023 tournament, when Shohei Ohtani struck out Mike Trout to seal a third WBC win for his country. 

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While this game had all the thrills, the WBC turned out to be an exciting tournament from the very start with pool play. 

Whether it was feel-good stories like Ondřej Satoria's standing ovation from Japanese fans at the Tokyo Dome during his final outing for Czechia or Italy’s espresso machine home run celebration, viewers from all over were tuning in to watch magic happen on the diamond.  

Fox Sports broadcaster Tom Verducci interviews manager Omar López Team Venezuela after a 3-2 victory against the United