USA-Mexico Delivers Most-Viewed FIFA World Cup Qualifying Match on ESPN2
The match audience ranks fourth overall for World Cup qualifiers on ESPN networks
ESPN2’s telecast of Friday night’s FIFA World Cup qualifying match – a 2-0 US Men’s National Team victory over archrival Mexico in Cincinnati, Ohio – was seen by an average audience of 1.315 million viewers; making it the most-watched FIFA World Cup qualifying match on ESPN2, according to Nielsen Media.
The sold-out TQL Stadium match in Cincinnati surpassed the previous ESPN2 record for World Cup qualifying matches, a USA vs. Mexico match on Wednesday, February 11, 2009 seen by 1.191 million average viewers.
In addition, the audience for USA-Mexico ranks fourth overall in the history of World Cup qualifying matches on ESPN networks, behind USA vs. Panama on Tuesday, June 11, 2013, seen by an average audience of 1.437 million viewers on ESPN. The USA-Mexico rivalry matchup has delivered four of the top-five audiences for World Cup qualifying matches on ESPN or ESPN2.
Five Most-Viewed World Cup Qualifying Matches on ESPN:
| Date | Match | Network | P2+ (Viewers) |
| Tue, Mar 26, 2013 | Mexico vs. USA (WCQ) | ESPN | 2,385,000 |
| Tue, Sep 10, 2013 | USA vs. Mexico (WCQ) | ESPN | 2,243,000 |
| Tue, Jun 11, 2013 | USA vs. Panama (WCQ) | ESPN | 1,437,000 |
| Fri, Nov 12, 2021 | USA vs. Mexico (WCQ) | ESPN2 | 1,315,000 |
| Wed, Feb 11, 2009 | USA vs. Mexico (WCQ) | ESPN2 | 1,191,000 |
Countdown Live: USA-Mexico Pregame Special – the digital live soccer pregame series available on Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook, along with the ESPN App – drew a digital average audience of 203,000 viewers. The one-hour program with Sebastian Salazar, Herculez Gomez, Jermaine Jones and Kasey Keller, streamed live from TQL Stadium.
–30–
