How many people watch the World Cup final vs. Super Bowl in USA, around the world?

The FIFA World Cup final and the Super Bowl are two of the biggest sporting events on the planet, attracting huge television audiences in the United States and around the world.

However, they take place on very different schedules: the Super Bowl is held every year, while the World Cup final comes around only once every four years.

While the Super Bowl traditionally dominates viewing figures in the U.S., the World Cup final attracts a much, much larger global interest.

Here's how the viewing figures for the two sporting spectacles compare.

2026 WORLD CUP HQ: Latest World Cup news | Full World Cup schedule | Buy World Cup tickets

How many people watch the FIFA World Cup final in USA?

Nearly 26 million people watched the 2022 FIFA World Cup final in the United States, making it the most-watched men's World Cup final in American television history.

FOX's English-language broadcast of Argentina's penalty shootout victory over France averaged 16.78 million viewers, while Telemundo attracted around nine million viewers across its Spanish-language coverage and digital platforms.

The audience represented a significant increase from the 2018 final between France and Croatia, when FOX averaged 11.44 million viewers. Telemundo also reported its 2022 audience was 65% higher than four years earlier.

The figures were particularly impressive given the final kicked off at 10 a.m. ET. With the 2026 FIFA World Cup final set to be played in the United States, a more favourable time zone and home interest could help produce another record American audience.

How many people watch the Super Bowl in USA?

The Super Bowl regularly attracts more than 100 million viewers in the United States, making it the country's biggest annual television event.

Super Bowl LX in 2026 averaged 125.6 million viewers across NBC, Peacock, Telemundo and other digital platforms. That made it the second-most-watched Super Bowl in history.

The record remains 127.7 million viewers, set by Super Bowl LIX between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs in 2025. That broadcast peaked at 137.7 million viewers during the second quarter.

How many people watch the FIFA World Cup final around the world?

The FIFA World Cup final attracts the largest global audience of any single sporting event. According to FIFA, the 2022 final between Argentina and France reached around 1.5 billion people worldwide across television, streaming and out-of-home viewing.

The match attracted a live in-home television audience of 570.8 million viewers, while its total global reach climbed to approximately 1.42 billion once digital streaming and out-of-home viewing were included.

Those figures comfortably surpass the Super Bowl's global audience and underline the worldwide appeal of football's biggest match. With the 2026 final taking place in the United States, another enormous global audience is expected.

How many people watch the Super Bowl around the world?

While the Super Bowl is the biggest annual sporting event in the United States, its international audience is significantly smaller than its domestic viewership.

According to the NFL, 62.5 million people outside the United States watched Super Bowl LVIII in 2024, a 10% increase from the previous year. The league's largest international audiences came from markets including Mexico, Canada, the United Kingdom and Germany.

Based on the NFL's latest published figures, the Super Bowl's worldwide audience exceeds 180 million viewers. That makes it one of the world's most-watched annual sporting events, but its global audience remains well below that of the FIFA World Cup final, which reaches more than one billion people.

World Cup final vs. Super Bowl: Audience figures

While the Super Bowl attracts a much larger television audience in the United States, the FIFA World Cup final comfortably leads on the global stage.

The Super Bowl has established itself as America's biggest annual television event, regularly drawing more than 120 million domestic viewers. By comparison, the World Cup final reaches a smaller U.S. audience but is watched by more than one billion people worldwide, making it the most-watched single sporting event in the world.

*Worldwide estimate based on the official U.S. audience combined with the NFL's latest reported international audience.