Lionel Messi, Argentina vs. Spain FIFA World Cup Final Makes History with Record TV Viewership

Soccer fans in the United States tuned in to Sunday's World Cup final between Spain and Argentina in a major way.

Per ESPN, "Fox said Tuesday that the Spain-Argentina final drew 38.937 million viewers—including a peak of 51.685 million—which easily set the record as the most-watched English-language soccer telecast in U.S. history, according to Nielsen Media Research. Telemundo's preliminary numbers for its Spanish-language broadcast said the game had a total audience of 22.6 million, putting the total number of viewers in the U.S. at more than 60 million."

Those are NFL numbers when it comes to U.S. sporting broadcasts:

It's another sign that soccer continues to grow as a sport in the United States. Sunday's final offered obvious appeal—Lionel Messi remains the biggest name in the sport and was attempting to win a second straight World Cup with Argentina, while Spain boasted a star-studded roster than completely dominated the entire tournament, allowing only one goal.

The game itself lacked at times, especially for more casual neutrals, as it was a scoreless draw through regulation despite Spain's domination of the proceedings. But ultimately there was ample drama, from Enzo Fernández's sending off late in the second half to Ferran Torres' game-winning goal and Argentina's desperate attempts to find an equalizer in the final moments.

And fans in the United States were clearly dialed in for all of it.