U.S. soccer fans are over the moon that the U.S. men's national team (USMNT) have already secured their spot in the World Cup knockout round. But as excited as they are to see the team in the Round of 32 and beyond, FOX is absolutely drooling at the mouth because of the financial windfall they stand to make.
According to Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports via Awful Announcing, FOX can charge as much as $2 million for a 30-second ad spot for a USMNT game if the team makes it all the way to the semifinals, let alone the Final.
"A deep World Cup run for the USMNT could give Fox the ability to increase its ad rates to over $2 million per 30-second slot, sources tell FOS. With the U.S. men's team looking strong, more games for the Americans would result in a big payday for Fox," FOS noted on X.
Where the money is
FOX is estimated to be making $250 million in advertisements on the hydration break advertisements alone. They could nearly double that mark by the end of the tournament, ensuring they make a profit off the $485 million they reportedly paid FIFA for the broadcast rights.
The USMNT have proven to be a ratings juggernaut during an otherwise slow period on the United States sports calendar. The NBA and NHL recently wrapped up their seasons, the MLB is at the halfway point and the NFL is still over a month away from preseason, let alone the regular season.
© Steven Bisig-Imagn Images.
So if the USMNT does wind up being a massive ratings boon to FOX, the World Cup goes from an event where they break even to perhaps one of their most profitable ventures of 2026.
That being said, we need to walk before we run. The Round of 32 hasn't even started yet and there's no telling if the USMNT will even make it to the Round of 16, let alone the semifinals.
