Whether it's the fact that the United States had what was billed as a "Golden Generation" of talent with an exciting manager or the fact that the country is one of the World Cup hosts, World Cup fever has taken over the country. The World Cup has been incredible between the run the US Men's National Team went on or that stars like Lionel Messi, Erling Haaland, Kylian Mbappé, and Jude Bellingham have played at an incredible level, the drama has been at an all-time high.
In the United States, soccer is far from the most popular sports, and comparing viewership of the MLS to leagues like the NFL, NBA, MLB, or NHL would prove it. The World Cup has been incredible for Fox on the broadcasting side, and it should lead to some changes.
Fox's staggering viewership numbers should spark college football changes
The United States tuned in like we haven't seen before for the team's miserable showing against Belgium as 42 million people tuned in for the match, 30 million of which were viewers on Fox.
42 million people watched the US-Belgium game on Fox — 30 million — and Telemundo — 12 million. Staggering number — that’s more people than have ever watched a college football, NBA, MLB or NHL game in history. Only the NFL playoffs can beat it this century.
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) July 8, 2026
When you look at the viewership numbers Fox is having for the World Cup, it should lead to changes in how they manage their other sports games. Every day in the World Cup, the matches have felt massive, and for that reason the fans are all tuning in.
Comparing the way the World Cup games are being built up to how Fox uses it's Big Noon Kickoff show, there's a clear flaw. Every week with Big Noon Kickoff the game isn't always the biggest of the weekend while ESPN's matchup selection for College GameDay is always a big deal, even if they aren't broadcasting that matchup.
Fox hit an absolute home run to start the season with the pairing of Big Noon Kickoff, and the game that followed when Texas and Ohio State kicked off to start the season which brought in 16.6 million viewers.
If you're Fox, there's a clear move to make with the level of money they're pouring into the conference to broadcast games. There should be a major effort to push the Big Ten teams toward bigger Non-Conference games which will likely draw bigger audiences, and in turn make more money for all parties involved.
The defending National Championship winning Indiana Hoosiers will face the trio of North Texas, Howard, and Western Kentucky. There's no benefit to the partners, the fans, or the league with premier programs passing on the opportunity to play bigger games. USC who came to the league as a major brand will face San Jose State, Fresno State, and Louisiana before Big Ten play.
College Football has been trending upward with the expansion of the Playoff, but if it's going to continue growing, it needs the teams to pull their weight. Fans don't want to watch teams beating far inferior opponents in blowouts, and until the teams opt to play big matchups, the sport's growth will suffer.
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