Jul 9, 2019

U.S. Women's World Cup triumph wins bigger TV ratings than men's 2018 final

The U.S. team celebrates with the World Cup trophy in France. Photo: Franck Fife/AFP/Getty Images

More American TV viewers watched the women's U.S. soccer team win their 4th World Cup than tuned into the final of the men's tournament, Fox Sports first reported Monday, citing Nielsen figures.

Why it matters: Pressure is building on soccer's governing bodies to address gender pay disparities. The U.S. women's soccer team filed a lawsuit in March, accusing the United States Soccer Federation of "institutionalized gender discrimination." Democratic lawmakers, including 2020 candidates, have called for women players to be compensated fairly.

By the numbers: 14.27 million viewers tuned into Fox's TV and streaming services to watch Sunday's triumph over the Netherlands in France. In 2018, 12.5 million U.S. viewers watched the men's World Cup final.

The big picture: An equal pay petition for the U.S. women's soccer team had garnered more than 75,000 signatures by Tuesday morning.

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