US vs. Ghana most watched soccer match ever

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Combining the audiences of ABC (produced by ESPN) for the English telecast and Univision in Spanish, The Nielsen Company says Saturday’s FIFA World Cup game which saw Ghana eliminate the US in extra time was the most watched soccer game ever in the United States.


An estimated 19.4 million US viewers watched Team USA’s loss to Ghana on Saturday. The record viewership from ABC and Univision combined surpassed the previous high of 18.1 million viewers who watched the 1994 World Cup final between Brazil and Italy.

“This record viewership proves that soccer is as popular as it’s ever been in the United States,” said Stephen Master, VP of sports at The Nielsen Company. “Between the rise of social networking and virtually unlimited access to the sport no matter where it’s played in the world, this is the perfect environment for the game of soccer to thrive in the US.”

Most Watched Soccer Games in the U.S.
Rank Date Game Network(s) Viewers
1 6/26/2010 USA-Ghana ABC/Univision 19.4 million
2 7/17/1994 Brazil-Italy ABC/Univision 18.1 million
3 7/10/1999 USA-China (women) ABC 18.0 million
4 6/12/2010 USA-England ABC/Univision 17.1 million
5 7/09/2006 Italy-France ABC/Univision 17.0 million
Source: The Nielsen Company