More than 26 million U.S. viewers watch World Cup final, set record
A general view of play during the FIFA World Cup final match between Germany and Argentina at Maracana on July 13, 2014 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Credit: Getty Images / Julian Finney
With an estimated 26.5 million viewers, Sunday's World Cup final stands as the most-watched soccer game in U.S. history.
The Nielsen company said Monday that 17.3 million people watched Germany beat Argentina 1-0 on ABC. An additional 9.2 million tuned in to the game on the Spanish-language Univision network.
That tops the 24.7 million who watched the U.S.-Portugal match earlier in the tournament, and the same number of people who saw the 2010 World Cup final between the Netherlands and Spain.
Between well-played games and a time zone compatible with U.S. viewing, both networks were up significantly throughout the tournament from four years ago.
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