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World Baseball Classic Breaks Viewership Records with Venezuela Championship

Thursday, March 19, 2026 at 9:22 PM

Venezuela's victory over Team USA in the World Baseball Classic championship game shattered television viewership records, drawing nearly 11 million viewers. The tournament finale capped off a record-breaking event that saw massive audience growth across all games.

The World Baseball Classic reached unprecedented television viewership heights when Venezuela defeated Team USA in the championship game, marking not only the tournament’s first new champion in ten years but also its largest audience ever.

The championship contest held in Miami on Tuesday drew an average of 10.78 million viewers across FOX networks and streaming platforms, establishing a new tournament milestone. Viewership reached its peak at 12.15 million as the game intensified in its final moments.

This record-breaking audience provided a perfect conclusion to a tournament that consistently exceeded expectations. The championship game’s viewership surpassed the previous WBC record by an impressive 46%, which had been set just 48 hours earlier when Team USA’s semifinal victory against the Dominican Republic attracted 7.37 million viewers.

The viewership surge wasn’t limited to games featuring the American team. Venezuela’s semifinal triumph over Italy captured 3.76 million viewers, making it the most-watched WBC broadcast in tournament history that didn’t include Team USA.

FOX’s complete tournament coverage also saw significant gains, with an average of 1.29 million viewers tuning in across FOX, FS1, and FS2. This represented a remarkable 156% increase compared to the 2023 WBC, bolstered by a tournament-record 78 MLB All-Stars taking part and players displaying a notably more competitive approach, treating the event as a legitimate championship rather than an exhibition showcase.

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