Brazil-Morocco World Cup Match Set Massive Viewership Record

With the 2026 FIFAWorld Cup excitement reaching three different host countries, there have already been some big matches televised in the Group stage of the immensely popular event.

One of the most anticipated battles so far involved two of the top 10 teams in the World Cup, as Brazil and Morocco battled in their first match for Group C.

The thrilling matchup featured Morocco’s Ismael Saibari scoring at the 21-minute mark to give his team the early lead. However, Brazil’s Vinicius Junior matched that goal at the 32-minute mark, tying it 1-1.

The two teams fought one another in a tight second half, with neither squad able to break the deadlock, and they settled for a draw to open their World Cup.

More news:Kylian Mbappe Achieves Major Scoring History For France Against Senegal

And although it ended in a draw with no clear winner, it scored a major victory for Fox Sports, who announced a record 10,019,000 viewers watched the telecast on Saturday.

That is the most-watched non-USMNT FIFA Men’s World Cup Group Stage telecast in English language U.S. history, per Fox Sports PR.

That announcement came several days after news that the United States Men’s National Team opener against Paraguay scored massive viewership. In their match at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, the USMNT won 4-1, taking an early Group D lead.

This massive viewership should only grow larger as this event plays on. This is only the Group stage of the event, and the Knockout Stage, along with later rounds, will draw a lot of interest, especially with games occurring in the United States.

When more of the top contenders and star players meet up on the pitch, viewership will likely explode. Brazil didn’t have star Neymar for its opener, and likely won’t until the Knockout stage of the World Cup.

Regarding the Group match between Brazil and Morocco, each team received one point after the draw. Meanwhile, Scotland leads Group C after defeating Haiti, 1-0, in their opener. However, Scotland has yet to play Brazil or Morocco.

That changes when Morocco plays them on Friday at 6 p.m. ET, while Brazil takes on Haiti on Friday at 8:30 p.m. ET.

More news:USMNT Captain Makes Bold Statement About World Cup Win vs Paraguay

For more about the World Cup, head over to Newsweek Sports.

2026 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.

This story was originally published June 16, 2026 at 7:02 PM.