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The US Men’s National Team may have lost 4-1 to Belgium on July 6, but the real scoreline was on the ratings board. An average of 30 million viewers tuned into Fox for the match, making it the most-watched soccer telecast in American television history. The previous record, 26.4 million viewers from the USMNT’s earlier group-stage clash against Bosnia-Herzegovina, didn’t even last a week.
Peak viewership hit 36.895 million between 9:15 and 9:30 p.m. ET.
Fan tokens found their moment
While the USMNT’s tournament ended with Belgium advancing to the quarterfinals, the crypto angle was playing out in parallel. Belgium’s $BELG fan token was active during the knockout stage, giving holders access to engagement features tied to the Belgian national team’s World Cup run.
Fan tokens, for the uninitiated, are digital assets that give holders voting rights on minor team decisions, access to exclusive content, and gamified experiences. They’ve been a fixture in European soccer for years, with clubs like FC Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain launching their own through platforms like Socios.com.
The contrast was hard to miss. Belgium had a live crypto engagement layer running alongside the biggest soccer audience America has ever produced. The USMNT had no dedicated fan token and no notable crypto sponsorship in play.
Crypto-based prediction markets also saw action tied to the match, with platforms offering contests and digital asset prizes around game outcomes.
Why 30 million viewers matters for crypto in sports
Here’s the thing about audience size: it changes the economics of everything downstream. The jump from 26.4 million to 30 million in a single tournament isn’t incremental growth. It’s a 14% leap that signals soccer is crossing a threshold in the American sports landscape.
The fan token market itself has had a volatile history. Several tokens launched during the 2022 World Cup cycle saw significant price swings, with some losing the majority of their value after the tournament hype faded.
What this means for investors
Fan tokens tend to see volume spikes during major tournaments, particularly when the issuing team is still in contention. Belgium’s advancement to the quarterfinals means $BELG holders have at least one more high-profile match to drive engagement.
The tokens that have retained value tend to be those backed by consistently competitive teams with large, engaged global fanbases.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
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