Despite England heading for home, almost 18 million people watched the World Cup final on Sunday night, with a large chunk of football fans selecting the BBC's coverage

The FIFA World Cup final is one of the most-watched sporting events on the planet.

Nearly half of registered voters watched the 2026 World Cup, with income and education shaping viewership more than party affiliation, the survey found.

The World Cup quarterfinals get underway Thursday afternoon with France-Morocco at 4pm ET on Fox and Telemundo. The last two iterations of the World Cup saw the round begin on a Friday with earlier start times given the location of the events.

Argentina vs. Switzerland Delivers the Most-Watched Argentina Soccer Match Ever in Spanish-Language History in Total Audience

The World Cup final draws the biggest television audience on the globe. Sunday, those billions watched the Muppets play a classic Detroit rock song.

Here's how many people usually watch the World Cup Final around the world.

The 2026 World Cup showed FIFA borrowing the U.S. sports playbook just as American soccer interest hit another temporary high.