The Fox Sports broadcast team delivered a message to Americans on Monday as the FIFA World Cup coverage came to an end: Please don’t turn off that television. The U.S. Men's National Team was eliminated after losing 4-1 to Belgium in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, dashing America's hopes of advancing deep into the tournament.

Broadcasters John Strong and Stu Holden, aware that many viewers might stop watching soccer until 2030, pleaded with American audiences not to give up on the sport. Strong highlighted the beauty of soccer by saying, “If you enjoyed what you saw, support your local team.” Holden emphasized that “the future of American soccer is very bright,” noting that this message has been familiar to U.S. soccer fans for over a decade.

The repercussions of the U.S. loss will be felt by Fox; significant drops in TV ratings are expected. However, matches featuring top teams like France, Spain, Norway, and Argentina, along with suitable time slots in the U.S., could still lead to large viewership numbers, even if the U.S. has been eliminated from the tournament.

Still, it’s impossible to ignore the seriousness of the situation: if the U.S. had advanced to the quarter-finals or beyond, TV executives would have been excited about the potential audience competing with NFL playoff games. For now, the dream of reaching 50 million viewers seems to have faded in the U.S. Strong and Holden not only encouraged viewers to continue watching the World Cup but also stressed the need to support soccer in general, whether through Europe’s top clubs or Major League Soccer.