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By Mallory Mattingly
With 45 million viewers across Fox Sports, Peacock and Telemundo, England’s 3-2 World Cup win over Mexico topped the viewership for USA’s game against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Fox Sports totaled “21.7 million viewers for its telecast of England-Mexico, while Telemundo and Peacock saw an even bigger crowd, 23.2 million. That makes it the most-watched World Cup telecast in US history for a match that did not include Team USA. Viewership on Fox peaked in the final 15 minutes with 25.7 million viewers,” Variety reported of the July 5 match.
These statistics make sense as Mexico’s national team (El Tri) carries a deep, passionate following in the United States, which is why the Spanish-language broadcast had such high viewership.
However, hype only gets viewers to tune in; the drama keeps them glued to the screen. The game itself was an all-time World Cup thriller.
England’s Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane scored early with two goals within the first two minutes. Then Mexico fought back with two goals from Julián Quiñones and a penalty kick later on from Raúl Jiménez. The real drama came in the 54th minute when England’s Jarell Quansah was sent off with a straight red card.
This forced England to play one man down to Mexico’s full squad. But, towards the end of the match, Kane found the back of the net again when he converted a penalty to secure the win for England.
Related: 15 FIFA World Cup Players Vocal About Their Faith in Jesus
To add to the excitement, this World Cup has become a stage for athletes around the world to share their faith as players from the United States, Curaçao, Columbia and more honor God.
“He is the one who is holy of holiest,” USMNT defender Mark McKenzie told Sports Spectrum of God. “He is the one who reigns on high. He’s the one I depend on for everything. I think that’s the only way I can describe Him.”
“It might seem a little cliche, but it is the truth. He is the one who knows all, knew all, yet still gives His all for me and requires so little,” he continued. “Like the salvation that I have is is nothing that I’ve earned. It’s a gift, and there’s nothing else to it, you know? Like every day that goes by is a day where I have to look up and say, ‘Thank you, Lord, for seeing me through this.’”
Curaçao National Team forward Kenji Gorré emphasized that he plays for an “audience of one” — Jesus.
“That is playing not for your name to be glorified, but for His name to be glorified and understanding that it’s actually not about me,” he told Sports Spectrum.
“This can only be God that has led us to this point. One thing that’s so beautiful is that He’s the real foundation of what we have built on as well,” he added. “We pray every morning, we pray before the games, and that’s just something that has become a tradition of ours. We give glory to Jesus in everything that we do.”
The record-breaking viewership of England’s thrilling victory over Mexico and the open displays of faith from players like McKenzie and Gorré prove that this World Cup delivers unforgettable drama both on the scoreboard and through the profound, personal testimonies of its athletes.
Read Next: Driven by Faith: Curaçao Makes History at the 2026 World Cup
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