Add one more ratings record to the World Cup before we close the book on Brazil: The World Cup Final between Germany and Argentina was the most-watched soccer match in American history, drawing more than 26 million viewers.
Chief among everything the 2014 World Cup in Brazil will be remembered for is the staggering growth of the game in the United States. More than ever before fans flocked to the television to watch the beautiful game.
It wasn't just for the American games, either. Going back the last few World Cups, the US had been tuning in to watch the Red, White and Blue but this World Cup fans started watching other matches en masse, too. It's incredibly impressive that the final between Germany and Argentina drew more eyeballs (at least that the ratings system could measure) than USA games.
While it wasn't the most-watched game in ESPN/ABC history (that still belongs to the US with their second game against Portugal), the network had more than 17 million viewers tune in. Combined with a massive number for Television (9.2 million) and a total of 26.5 million people in the States watched Mario Gotze give Germany its first Cup in 24 years.
Not bad for a country that "doesn't like soccer."
No doubt it helped having the World Cup in a time zone that was friendly to the US but the fact can't be denied that Americans are growing increasingly interested in the World Cup. The trick now is making it extend to other international tournaments and club soccer.
