More news that the sport of soccer is positively thriving in the United States – Tuesday night’s World Cup Qualifier between the U.S. and Panama was the second most-watched and second highest-rated FIFA World Cup qualifying or international friendly match telecast.
The 2-0 U.S. triumph at CenturyLink Field in Seattle recorded an average audience of 1.436 million viewers and was seen in 888,000 households, based on a 0.8 household U.S. rating according to Nielsen Media.
The Southern California soccer hot-bed of San Diego was once again the top market for the match telecast with a rating of 2.5, while Seattle-Takoma (2.5), Baltimore (2.1), Hartford-New Haven (1.9), and Nashville (1.9) rounded out the Top 5.
Tuesday’s viewership was bested only by the March 26th World Cup Qualifier between the U.S. and Mexico, which ended in a 0-0 draw at the famed Azteca Stadium. That telecast delivered the record average audience with 2.385 million viewers and was seen in 1.644 million households, based on a 1.4 household U.S. rating.
The next date for American soccer to make itself heard is on Tuesday, June 18th when the U.S. takes on Honduras in the final World Cup Qualifying match before the summer. That match can be viewed live from Rio Tinto Stadium on ESPN or the WatchESPN app.
Here are some other broadcast numbers in recent U.S. history that show just how big the game has become stateside –
- The 2010 World Cup Final between Spain and the Netherlands drew a record 24.3 million U.S. viewers (U.S. v. Ghana drew 19.4m)
- The 2011 Women’s World Cup Final between Japan and the U.S. drew a record 13.458 million U.S. viewers
- The 2011 Champions League Final between Manchester United and Barcelona drew a record 4.2 million U.S. viewers
- The 2012 MLS match between Seattle and Portland drew 880,000 U.S. viewers (3rd largest audience)
- The May 2012 Manchester United v. Manchester City match drew a record 1.033 million U.S. viewers
- The 2012 European Championship Final between Italy and Spain drew drew 2.968 million U.S. viewers (2nd largest)
