Aaron Judge, USA vs. Venezuela Sets World Baseball Classic Viewership Record in Championship Game

Venezuela's 3-2 win over Aaron Judge and the United States in the championship game of the 2026 World Baseball Classic drew a large television audience.

Fox Sports announced Thursday that over 10.7 million viewers watched the title game, making it the most-watched WBC telecast ever.

Viewership increased by 128 percent compared to the 2023 championship game, per the announcement.

Venezuela held a 2-0 lead over Team USA in Tuesday's contest following a sacrifice fly from Maikel Garcia in the third inning and Wilyer Abreu's solo home run in the fifth.

The U.S. eventually tied the game due to Bryce Harper's two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth inning, although Venezuela immediately jumped back in front with Eugenio Suárez's RBI double in the top of the ninth.

Team USA ultimately couldn't pull off a ninth-inning rally, as Venezuela won its first WBC title.

Judge struggled in the championship game, as he went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts. The entire United States lineup only finished with three hits, as Harper accounted for two of them.

Team USA fell in the WBC championship game for the second straight tournament after capturing the title in 2017.