One of England’s finest World Cup showings in recent memory is poised to become the highest-rated broadcast in the history of U.S. Spanish-language television.
The Three Lions’ resilient 3-2 victory over Mexico at the Estadio Azteca—secured despite playing nearly half an hour with ten men—has attracted a preliminary combined audience of 23.1 million on Telemundo.
That figure places the match on course to claim the largest total audience for any soccer game in U.S. Spanish-language media history, surpassing last week’s Mexico–Ecuador clash, which drew 18.9 million viewers.
Including streaming via Telemundo’s sister platform Peacock, the total reach is substantial; however, the linear numbers are especially striking. Across the three-hour telecast, the network posted a linear audience of 9.4 million in the P2+ demographic—a tally Telemundo projects will rank as the top-rated Spanish-language telecast ever, ahead of the 8.7 million who tuned in for the Ecuador match.
The NBCUniversal-owned broadcaster also reported a preliminary average-minute audience of 13 million, which would make the contest the most-streamed soccer match in U.S. Spanish-language media history.
The broadcast faced an early hurdle when thunderstorms delayed kickoff, creating a rocky start for both teams and the production crew.
Once play resumed, however, the encounter delivered both classic World Cup drama and blockbuster ratings.
England struck twice in the first half through Jude Bellingham. Julián Quiñones reduced the deficit for the co-hosts before the interval. Five minutes after right back Jarrell Quansah received a red card for a reckless challenge, Anthony Gordon was fouled by the Mexican goalkeeper during a breakaway, allowing captain Harry Kane to convert the resulting penalty. Tension mounted when Raúl Jiménez answered with a penalty of his own after Kane conceded a spot-kick at the other end, and the home side dominated possession late on.
England’s Dan Burn of England blocks a bicycle kick from Raúl Jiménez of México Cesar Gomez/Jam Media/Getty Images
Telemundo has enjoyed a stellar World Cup run in recent weeks: Mexico’s match against South Korea also pulled 7.2 million total viewers.
Joaquín Duro, EVP of Sports and head of streaming at NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises, recently told Deadline: “We’ve created this way of producing games that is getting people excited, regardless of who plays. The pitches are amazing. The stadiums are filled. It’s just like a movie.”
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