The United States' round-of-16 clash with Belgium at the FIFA World Cup has become the most-watched soccer broadcast in American television history, Fox announced Tuesday after preliminary ratings data was released.

Despite ending in defeat for the United States, the match drew a record-breaking audience — a testament to the surging appetite for football among American viewers and the high stakes of a World Cup knockout tie.

The milestone underscores how significantly the sport has grown in the United States, with World Cup matches consistently pulling in numbers that rival the country's most popular sporting events.