U.S. victory over Germany breaks American TV record for men’s or women’s World Cup semifinal

The United States’ win over Germany on Tuesday was the most-watched men’s or women’s World Cup semifinal ever on American television — and the Kansas City metro area tied St. Louis for the highest local rating in the country.

The 2-0 victory by the second-ranked U.S. women over the No. 1 Germans on Tuesday night averaged 8.4 million viewers on Fox. The network said Wednesday the previous high was 5.9 million for the 2006 men’s semifinal between Germany and Italy.

Among metro areas, Kansas City tied St. Louis for the top spot among 56 metered markets with a 9.3 overnight rating, according to Fox Sports. Kansas City led the country with a 7.8 rating for the U.S. victory over China in the quarterfinals.

The total audience for the game was up 47 percent from the 5.7 million who watched the China game Friday night. And it was more than double the 3.4 million for the Americans’ semifinal in 2011, which was played during the day in the U.S. with the tournament in Germany.

Sunday’s final is also in prime time, giving it a chance to surpass the record of nearly 18 million viewers for the 1999 Women’s World Cup final, which was played in the U.S.

This story was originally published July 1, 2015 at 5:59 PM with the headline "U.S. victory over Germany breaks American TV record for men’s or women’s World Cup semifinal."