The U.S. men’s national team shattered a viewership record on Friday with its draw against England at the World Cup.
The match in Qatar, which finished 0-0 in the second of their three group stage matches, drew 15,377,000 English-language viewers in the United States, Fox announced on Saturday night. It peaked at more than 19.6 million, too.
That’s up about six percent from the last record of 14.51 million during Italy and Brazil’s championship match in the World Cup in 1994.
Though many saw the USMNT’s draw as a successful outing, considering who they were up against, it left plenty inside the organization extremely frustrated.
“It felt like we dominated the game,” midfielder Weston McKennie said. “I think we had the more clear-cut chances. Obviously it sucks that we couldn’t put the ball in the back of the net, and come out with the win, and three points.”
The Americans will wrap up Group B play on Tuesday with a must-win match against Iran. A win there will send the USMNT into the knockout round, though anything else will end their time in Qatar.
The record was the second one Fox set over Thanksgiving weekend, too. The Dallas Cowboys’ win over the New York Giants on Thursday drew 42 million viewers, which made it the most-watched regular season football game on any network.
