U.S.-Uruguay match draws record TV ratings

Field Level Media|published: Wed 3rd July, 22:42 2024

Jul 1, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Uruguay midfielder Federico Valverde (15) helps United States defender Chris Richards (3) to his feet after a Copa America match at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports

The U.S. men's national team failed on the pitch in Copa America, but public interest in the squad was high.

The team's group-stage finale, a 1-0 loss to Uruguay on Monday that knocked the United States out of the tournament, attracted an average of 3.78 million viewers on FS1. According to Fox Sports, that was the largest audience to see a non-World Cup soccer match on FS1 and the highest-ever English-language viewership total in the United States for a Copa America match.

The previous Copa America record was 3.19 million viewers for the United States' 2-0 victory over Bolivia on June 23.

Viewership for the Uruguay match, held in Kansas City, Mo., topped out at 4.87 million in the late stages as the U.S. team unsuccessfully attempted to rally.

Overall Copa America viewership through Monday, with matches on Fox, FS1 and FS2, was averaging 1.1 million viewers, a huge increase from the 216,000 average for the tournament's most recent edition in 2021. The only other time the Copa America was held in the United States, in 2016, the average U.S. viewership was 774,000.

The Copa America quarterfinals run Thursday through Saturday, with the semifinals set for Tuesday and next Wednesday. The final will be contested on July 14 in Miami Gardens, Fla.

--Field Level Media