In addition to our monthly Soccer on TV recaps, we’re now tracking the most-watched soccer broadcasts per week. From the Premier League to Liga MX and NWSL to La Liga, check in periodically to see what leagues and teams soccer fans are tuning into weekly.
- Soccer on U.S. TV – 2020 Year in Review
- Where to watch soccer competitions on TV and streaming platforms
In 2020 there were over 2,000 games broadcast on U.S. TV networks despite the global pandemic and shifted league calendars. Whether you watched a game on ESPN, TUDN, beIN SPORTS, or Galavision, your viewership help contribute to the attention on the sport. What does 2021 have in store?
Most-watched soccer games in 2021
- Week 1: Jan. 1st – Jan. 7th
- Week 2: Jan. 8th – Jan. 14th
- Week 3: Jan. 15th – Jan. 21st
- Week 4: Jan. 22nd – Jan. 28th
- Week 5: Jan. 29th – Feb. 4th
- Week 6: Feb. 5th to Feb. 11th
- Week 7: Feb. 12th to Feb. 18th
- Week 8: Feb. 19th to Feb. 25th
- Week 9: Feb. 26th to Mar. 4th
- Week 10: Mar. 5th to Mar. 11th
- Week 11: Mar. 12th to Mar. 18th
- Week 12: Mar. 19th to Mar. 25th
- Week 13: Mar. 26th to Apr. 1st
- Week 14: Apr. 2nd to Apr. 8th
- Week 15: Apr. 9th to Apr. 15th
- Week 16: Apr. 16th to Apr. 22nd
- Week 17: Apr. 23rd to Apr. 29th
- Week 18: Apr. 30th to May 6th
Week 1: Jan. 1st – Jan. 7th
With the 2021 Liga MX Clausura not beginning until January 7th, the European leagues, especially the Premier League, garnered the most viewers in the first week of 2020.
| Date | Competition | Team | Team | Network | Viewers (000) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1/3 | Premier League | Man City | Chelsea | NBCSN | 680 |
| 1/1 | Premier League | Aston Villa | Man United | NBCSN | 603 |
| 1/1 | Premier League | West Ham | Everton | NBCSN | 415 |
| 1/2 | Premier League | Sheffield | Crystal Palace | NBCSN | 385 |
| 1/4 | Premier League | Liverpool | Southampton | NBCSN | 378 |
| 1/3 | Premier League | Leicester City | Newcastle | NBCSN | 353 |
| 1/2 | Premier League | Leeds | Tottenham | NBCSN | 247 |
| 1/3 | La Liga | Huesca | Barcelona | beIN SPORTS Español | 136 |
| 1/2 | La Liga | Real Madrid | Celta de Vigo | beIN SPORTS Español | 125 |
| 1/6 | La Liga | Bilbao | Barcelona | beIN SPORTS Español | 105 |
Week 2: Jan. 8th – Jan. 14th
The Liga MX Clausura began an accounted for 60 percent of the ten most-watched games.
| Date | Competition | Team | Team | Network | Viewers (000) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1/9 | Liga MX | Club America | San Luis | TUDN | 390 |
| 1/8 | Liga MX | Puebla | Chivas | TUDN | 373 |
| 1/9 | Liga MX | Tigres | Leon | TUDN | 309 |
| 1/10 | Liga MX | Santos Laguna | Cruz Azul | Fox Deportes | 307 |
| 1/12 | Premier League | Man United | Burnley | NBCSN | 277 |
| 1/13 | Premier League | Fulham | Tottenham | NBCSN | 270 |
| 1/8 | Liga MX | Mazatlan | Necaxa | TUDN | 245 |
| 1/14 | Premier League | Crystal Palace | Arsenal | NBCSN | 228 |
| 1/13 | Premier League | Brighton | Man City | NBCSN | 171 |
| 1/11 | Liga MX | Pachuca | Juarez | TUDN | 162 |
Week 3: Jan. 15th – Jan. 21st
The U.S. Women’s National Team played their first game of 2021 and it accounted for nearly 400,000 viewers on Fox Sports 1.
| Date | Competition | Team | Team | Network | Viewers (000) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1/16 | Liga MX | Monterrey | Club America | Fox Deportes | 657 |
| 1/17 | Premier League | Tottenham | Sheffield | NBCSN | 403 |
| 1/18 | International Friendly | USA Women | Colombia Women | Fox Sports 1 | 396 |
| 1/18 | Premier League | Newcastle | Arsenal | NBCSN | 361 |
| 1/17 | Super Copa | Barcelona | Bilbao | ESPN | 345 |
| 1/16 | Premier League | Brighton | Leeds | NBCSN | 319 |
| 1/19 | Premier League | Chelsea | Leicester City | NBCSN | 314 |
| 1/16 | Liga MX | Cruz Azul | Puebla | TUDN | 297 |
| 1/21 | Liga MX | Atletico San Luis | Chivas | TUDN | 295 |
| 1/15 | Liga MX | Juarez | Tijuana | TUDN | 283 |
Week 4: Jan. 22nd – Jan. 28th
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s lovely strike for Tottenham wasn’t enough in their defeat against Liverpool on NBC Sports Network – the most-watched game of the week.
| Date | Competition | Team | Team | Network | Viewers (000) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1/28 | Premier League | Liverpool | Tottenham | NBCSN | 426 |
| 1/22 | International Friendly | USA Women | Colombia Women | ESPN2 | 317 |
| 1/23 | Liga MX | Atlas | Tigres | TUDN | 289 |
| 1/27 | Premier League | Sheffield | Man United | NBCSN | 281 |
| 1/22 | Liga MX | Mazatlan | Santos Laguna | TUDN | 265 |
| 1/28 | Liga MX | Tigres | Necaxa | TUDN | 263 |
| 1/22 | Liga MX | Puebla | Tijuana | TUDN | 252 |
| 1/24 | Liga MX | Queretaro | Pumas | TUDN | 245 |
| 1/25 | Liga MX | Pachuca | Cruz Azul | TUDN | 225 |
| 1/26 | Premier League | Man City | West Brom | NBCSN | 161 |
Week 5: Jan. 29th – Feb. 4th
The U.S. Men’s National Team’s 7-goal domination of Trinidad on FS1 was the fourth most-viewed broadcast of this week.
| Date | Competition | Team | Team | Network | Viewers (000) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1/30 | Premier League | Sheffield United | Man City | NBCSN | 431 |
| 1/31 | Liga MX | Santos Laguna | Club America | FOX Deportes | 407 |
| 1/29 | Liga MX | Mazatlan | Pachuca | TUDN | 258 |
| 1/31 | Int'l Friendly | USA | Trinidad & Tobago | FS1 | 258 |
| 1/30 | Liga MX | Cruz Azul | Queretaro | TUDN | 241 |
| 1/30 | Premier League | Newcastle | Everton | NBCSN | 189 |
| 1/31 | La Liga | Barcelona | Athletic Bilbao | beIN Español | 188 |
| 1/30 | Liga MX | Tijuana | Toluca | FOX Deportes | 141 |
| 1/31 | Liga MX | Tigres | Atlas | TUDN | 112 |
| 1/30 | Copa Libertadores | Palmeiras | Santos | beIN Español | 111 |
Week 6: Feb. 5th to Feb. 11th
Manchester City widened their lead atop the Premier League standings after defeating Liverpool in the most-viewed broadcast of the week. Nearly 1 million viewers tuned into the NBC Sports Network for the game.
| Date | Competition | Team | Team | Network | Viewers (000) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1/7 | Premier League | Man City | Liverpool | NBCSN | 973 |
| 1/6 | Premier League | Everton | Man United | NBCSN | 592 |
| 1/7 | Premier League | Leicester City | Wolverhampton | NBCSN | 449 |
| 1/6 | Liga MX | Club America | Puebla | TUDN | 426 |
| 1/6 | Premier League | Southampton | Newcastle | NBCSN | 415 |
| 1/7 | Club World Cup | Palmeiras | Tigres | FOX Deportes | 372 |
| 1/11 | Club World Cup | Bayern Munich | Tigres | FOX Deportes | 344 |
| 1/8 | Liga MX | Leon | Chivas | TUDN | 304 |
| 1/6 | Premier League | Arsenal | Aston Villa | NBCSN | 238 |
| 1/7 | La Liga | Betis | Barcelona | beIN Español | 217 |
Week 7: Feb. 12th to Feb. 18th
Four different competitions feature among the most-viewed broadcasts of this week: Premier League, SheBelieves Cup, Liga MX, and the UEFA Champions League.
| Date | Competition | Team | Team | Network | Viewers (000) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1/14 | Premier League | Leeds United | Arsenal | NBCSN | 594 |
| 1/18 | SheBelieves Cup | USA Women | Canada Women | FS1 | 498 |
| 1/14 | Premier League | Man United | West Brom | NBCSN | 451 |
| 1/13 | Premier League | Burnley | Crystal Palace | NBCSN | 420 |
| 1/13 | Premier League | Liverpool | Leicester City | NBCSN | 364 |
| 1/15 | Premier League | Newcastle | Chelsea | NBCSN | 323 |
| 1/14 | Liga MX | Santos | Monterrey | FOX Deportes | 283 |
| 1/17 | Liga MX | Tigres | Cruz Azul | TUDN | 283 |
| 1/13 | Liga MX | Club America | Queretaro | TUDN | 272 |
| 1/16 | UCL | Barcelona | PSG | TUDN | 270 |
Week 8: Feb. 19th to Feb. 25th
The final two SheBelieves Cup matches for the USWNT were the two most-watched broadcasts of the week. The two combined for over a million viewers on Fox Sports 1.
| Date | Competition | Team | Team | Network | Viewers (000) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2/21 | SheBelieves Cup | USA | Brazil | Fox Sports 1 | 568 |
| 2/24 | SheBelieves Cup | USA | Argentina | Fox Sports 1 | 530 |
| 2/21 | Liga MX | Tigres | Tijuana | TUDN | 420 |
| 2/20 | Premier League | West Brom | Burnley | NBCSN | 395 |
| 2/20 | Liga MX | Atlas | Club América | TUDN | 386 |
| 2/22 | Liga MX | Pachuca | Chivas | TUDN | 336 |
| 2/20 | Premier League | Chelsea | Southampton | NBCSN | 292 |
| 2/25 | Liga MX | Atletico San Luis | Tigres | TUDN | 287 |
| 2/20 | Liga MX | Cruz Azul | Toluca | TUDN | 257 |
| 2/19 | Liga MX | Juarez | Mazatlan | TUDN | 256 |
Week 9: Feb. 26th to Mar. 4th
The draw between Manchester United and Chelsea on Feb. 28th was viewed by over 750,000 people on NBC Sports Network. This total was over 300,000 viewers more than the second most-watched broadcast this week.
| Date | Competition | Team | Team | Network | Viewers (000) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2/28 | Premier League | Manchester United | Chelsea | NBCSN | 758 |
| 2/27 | Premier League | Brighton | West Brom | NBCSN | 434 |
| 2/28 | Premier League | Burnley | Tottenham | NBCSN | 366 |
| 2/27 | Liga MX | Club León | Cruz Azul | TUDN | 333 |
| 2/27 | Liga MX | Club América | Pachuca | TUDN | 313 |
| 3/3 | Liga MX | Tijuana | Club América | FOX Deportes | 309 |
| 2/26 | Liga MX | Mazatlan | Queretaro | TUDN | 288 |
| 2/27 | Premier League | West Ham | Manchester City | NBCSN | 276 |
| 3/2 | Liga MX | Club León | Puebla | TUDN | 254 |
| 3/3 | Liga MX | Queretaro | Chivas | TUDN | 251 |
Week 10: Mar. 5th to Mar. 11th
Despite ABC airing Bayern Munich’s comeback victory against Borussia Dortmund, Manchester United played in the most-watched soccer broadcast for the second week in a row.
| Date | Competition | Team | Team | Network | Viewers (000) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3/7 | Premier League | Man United | Man City | NBCSN | 760 |
| 3/6 | Bundesliga | Bayern Munich | Dortmund | ABC | 576 |
| 3/7 | Premier League | Fulham | Liverpool | NBCSN | 433 |
| 3/6 | Premier League | Wolverhampton | Aston Villa | NBCSN | 407 |
| 3/6 | Liga MX | Mazatlan | Chivas | TUDN | 391 |
| 3/6 | Premier League | Southampton | Sheffield United | NBCSN | 375 |
| 3/10 | UCL | PSG | Barcelona | TUDN | 349 |
| 3/6 | Liga MX | Club América | Club León | TUDN | 314 |
| 3/7 | Liga MX | Pumas | Cruz Azul | TUDN | 305 |
| 3/5 | Liga MX | Puebla | Tigres | TUDN | 274 |
Week 11: Mar. 12th to Mar. 18th
In the latest edition of El Súper Clásico, Telemundo and the simulcast on Universo garnered 1.7 million viewers.
| Date | Competition | Team | Team | Network | Viewers (000) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3/14 | Liga MX | Chivas | Club América | Telemundo, Universo | 1,700 |
| 3/14 | Premier League | Tottenham | Arsenal | NBCSN | 576 |
| 3/14 | Premier League | West Ham | Man United | NBCSN | 524 |
| 3/13 | Premier League | West Brom | Crystal Palace | NBCSN | 332 |
| 3/13 | Premier League | Chelsea | Leeds | NBCSN | 291 |
| 3/13 | Liga MX | Cruz Azul | Monterrey | TUDN | 288 |
| 3/15 | Premier League | Liverpool | Wolverhampton | NBCSN | 288 |
| 3/18 | Liga MX | Pachuca | Tigres | TUDN | 283 |
| 3/18 | Olympic Qualifying | Mexico U23 | Dominican Rep. U23 | TUDN | 277 |
| 3/13 | Liga MX | Tigres | Mazatlan | TUDN | 257 |
Week 12: Mar. 19th to Mar. 25th
Concacaf Olympic Qualifying was featured heavily in this week’s most-watched games. Mexico’s defeat of the U.S. in the last group game was seen by 612,000 viewers on TUDN and 287,000 on FOX Sports 1.
| Date | Competition | Team | Team | Network | Viewers (000) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3/24 | Olympic Qualif. | Mexico U23 | USA U23 | TUDN | 612 |
| 3/21 | Olympic Qualif. | Costa Rica U23 | Mexico U23 | TUDN | 447 |
| 3/19 | Liga MX | Mazatlan | Club América | TUDN | 384 |
| 3/20 | Liga MX | Cruz Azul | Atlas | TUDN | 298 |
| 3/24 | Olympic Qualif. | Mexico U23 | USA U23 | FS1 | 287 |
| 3/25 | Int'l Friendly | USA | Jamaica | ESPN2 | 267 |
| 3/21 | Premier League | Tottenham | Aston Villa | NBCSN | 253 |
| 3/21 | Olympic Qualif. | Dominican Rep. U23 | USA U23 | TUDN | 241 |
| 3/25 | Olympic Qualif. | Honduras U23 | Canada U23 | TUDN | 209 |
| 3/21 | Olympic Qualif. | Dominican Rep. U23 | USA U23 | FS1 | 202 |
Week 13: Mar. 26th to Apr. 1st
The USMNT friendly against Northern Ireland on FOX was the most-watched broadcast of the week, but Concacaf Olympic Qualifying broadcasts on TUDN and FOX Sports 1 also featured heavily.
| Date | Competition | Team | Team | Network | Viewers (000) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3/28 | International Friendly | Northern Ireland | USA | FOX | 835 |
| 3/30 | Olympic Qualifying | Honduras U23 | Mexico U23 | TUDN | 673 |
| 3/28 | Olympic Qualifying | Mexico U23 | Canada U23 | TUDN | 573 |
| 3/28 | Olympic Qualifying | Honduras U23 | USA U23 | FOX Sports 1 | 330 |
| 3/27 | International Friendly | Wales | Mexico | TUDN | 317 |
| 3/28 | Olympic Qualifying | Honduras U23 | USA U23 | TUDN | 267 |
| 3/30 | International Friendly | Costa Rica | Mexico | TUDN | 210 |
| 3/28 | Olympic Qualifying | Mexico U23 | Canada U23 | FOX Sports 1 | 165 |
| 3/28 | International Friendly | Northern Ireland | USA | TUDN | 123 |
| 3/27 | World Cup Qualifying | Norway | Turkey | ESPN2 | 122 |
Week 14: Apr. 2nd to Apr. 8th
60 percent of the most-watched broadcasts from the week featured the Premier League. Manchester United’s victory over Brighton, seen on NBCSN, was the most-watched broadcast of the week.
| Date | Competition | Team | Team | Network | Viewers (000) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4/2 | Premier League | Brighton | Man United | NBCSN | 494 |
| 4/3 | Premier League | Man City | Leicester City | NBCSN | 451 |
| 4/4 | Liga MX | Chivas | Santos Laguna | Telemundo | 442 |
| 4/3 | Premier League | Liverpool | Arsenal | NBCSN | 433 |
| 4/3 | Premier League | Sheffield | Leeds | NBCSN | 386 |
| 4/4 | Premier League | Fulham | Aston Villa | NBCSN | 382 |
| 4/3 | Liga MX | Club América | Necaxa | TUDN | 379 |
| 4/7 | CCL | Olimpia | Club América | TUDN | 351 |
| 4/4 | Liga MX | Leon | Toluca | TUDN | 350 |
| 4/4 | Premier League | Tottenham | Newcastle | NBCSN | 314 |
Week 15: Apr. 9th to Apr. 15th
The most-watched network TV game of the week saw the USWNT tie Sweden on FOX in front of over 700,000 viewers. However, it wasn’t enough to best the most-watched broadcast of the week – Chelsea vs. Crystal Palace on NBCSN.
| Date | Competition | Team | Team | Network | Viewers (000) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4/10 | Premier League | Chelsea | Crystal Palace | NBCSN | 737 |
| 4/10 | International Friendly | Sweden Women | USWNT | FOX | 713 |
| 4/10 | Premier League | Aston Villa | Liverpool | NBCSN | 426 |
| 4/10 | Liga MX | Tigres | Club América | TUDN | 414 |
| 4/10 | Liga MX | Cruz Azul | Chivas | TUDN | 347 |
| 4/10 | La Liga | Real Madrid | Barcelona | beIN SPORTS Español | 343 |
| 4/14 | CCL | Club América | Olimpia | TUDN | 294 |
| 4/13 | International Friendly | France Women | USWNT | ESPN2 | 288 |
| 4/14 | Liga MX | Juarez | Tigres | TUDN | 288 |
| 4/13 | UCL | PSG | Bayern Munich | TUDN | 277 |
Week 16: Apr. 16th to Apr. 22nd
MLS returned this week and featured the two most-watched broadcasts of the week – both of which were network broadcasts. Austin FC’s debut was watched by nearly 500,000 on FOX, while Chicharito’s return to goalscoring form was watched by 482,000 on ABC.
| Date | Competition | Team | Team | Network | Viewers (000) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4/17 | MLS | LAFC | Austin FC | FOX | 485 |
| 4/18 | MLS | Inter Miami | LA Galaxy | ABC | 482 |
| 4/17 | Liga MX | Club América | Cruz Azul | TUDN | 430 |
| 4/18 | Premier League | Burnley | Man United | NBCSN | 416 |
| 4/16 | Liga MX | Mazatlan | Atlas | TUDN | 292 |
| 4/21 | Liga MX | Monterrey | Chivas | FOX Deportes | 261 |
| 4/19 | Premier League | Liverpool | Leeds | NBCSN | 250 |
| 4/18 | Liga MX | Monterrey | Pachuca | FOX Deportes | 244 |
| 4/21 | Premier League | Man City | Aston Villa | NBCSN | 212 |
| 4/16 | Premier League | Tottenham | Everton | NBCSN | 195 |
Week 17: Apr. 23rd to Apr. 29th
Liga MX teams featured in seven of the ten most-watched soccer broadcasts this week, six of which were Liga MX games. However, the most-watched broadcast of the week goes to the Premier League and NBCSN.
| Date | Competition | Team | Team | Network | Viewers (000) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4/25 | Premier League | Man United | Leeds United | NBCSN | 434 |
| 4/28 | CCL | Portland | Club América | TUDN | 406 |
| 4/23 | Liga MX | Mazatlan | Leon | TUDN | 391 |
| 4/25 | Liga MX | Queretaro | Juarez | TUDN | 390 |
| 4/24 | Liga MX | Atlas | Chivas | TUDN | 384 |
| 4/24 | Liga MX | Tigres | Monterrey | TUDN | 382 |
| 4/27 | UCL | Real Madrid | Chelsea | TUDN | 314 |
| 4/25 | Liga MX | Toluca | Club América | TUDN | 307 |
| 4/28 | UCL | Real Madrid | Chelsea | TUDN | 236 |
| 4/23 | Liga MX | Puebla | Pumas | TUDN | 227 |
Week 18: Apr. 30th to May 6th
TUDN’s broadcast of the second leg quarterfinal of the Concacaf Champions League between Club América and the Portland Timbers was the most-watched broadcast of the week.
| Date | Competition | Team | Team | Network | Viewers (000) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5/6 | CCL | Club América | Portland Timbers | TUDN | 441 |
| 5/2 | Liga MX | Pumas | Club América | TUDN | 433 |
| 5/5 | UCL | Chelsea | Real Madrid | TUDN | 376 |
| 5/2 | Premier League | Sheffield United | Tottenham | NBCSN | 366 |
| 5/2 | Premier League | Arsenal | Newcastle | NBCSN | 359 |
| 5/2 | MLS | Seattle | LA Galaxy | FOX Sports 1 | 285 |
| 5/2 | MLS | Nashville | Inter Miami | ESPN | 283 |
| 5/1 | Premier League | Leeds United | Brighton | NBCSN | 279 |
| 5/4 | UCL | Man City | PSG | TUDN | 266 |
| 4/30 | Liga MX | FC Juarez | Toluca | TUDN | 245 |
A big thank you to the folks at ShowBuzzDaily for amalgamating all of the daily TV ratings that allow us to showcase the games fans watch the most.