The 2026 World Baseball Classic delivered. Venezuela shocked many and upset the United States in the WBC Championship. This now marks two straight WBC's where Team USA loses in the final.
The game was on St. Patrick's Day, and more people tuned in for this game than for any other game before. This final broke many WBC viewing records.
- 10,784,000 viewers watched on FOX and FOX Deportes as Venezuela won the 2026 World Baseball Classic 3-2 over Team USA on Tuesday night.
- On FOX, the telecast averaged 10,228,000 viewers
- Most-watched WBC telecast ever on any network.
- Peak viewership: 12,148,000 from 10:30-10:45 PM ET on FOX
- Up +128% vs. 2023's USA-Japan WBC Final on FS1 (4,480,000)
- Most watched Tuesday on FOX since Game 4 of the 2025 World Series
- 2026 WBC Tournament average: 1,294,000 viewers across FOX, FS1, and FS2, up + 156% VS. 2023 (506,000) and ranking as the most-watched WBC ever across English language networks.
Team USA had a disappointing run when they arguably had the best roster they ever had. Aaron Judge and others did not perform at the level many expected. With the World Baseball Classic coming right before the season, you can make a serious argument that some of these players aren't at the top of their game. Either way, some teams scored a lot of runs while others didn't. Late in the tournament, Team USA did not score many runs, and it cost them.
Venezuela deserves a ton of credit for dominating when many didn't expect it. They lost to the Dominican Republic in group play but responded with three straight wins. Ronald Acuna Jr., Luis Arraez, Eugenio Suarez, and, of course, the MVP, Mikael Garcia, played extremely well and are ready for the 2026 MLB season.
Despite not playing well toward the end, the Team USA players gave manager Mark DeRosa praise.
