Venezuela wins first WBC title on FOX; final draws record 10.7M viewers
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Venezuela defeated Team USA 3-2 in the World Baseball Classic (WBC) final on Tuesday, and the game was historic in many ways.
Venezuela won its first WBC title and the players filled the field with emotion and pride as they celebrated the thrilling victory.
History was made during the broadcast, where the final was watched by 10 million 784 thousand viewers on FOX and FOX Deportes channels.
It became the most watched WBC television broadcast of all time.
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Fox Sports broadcaster Tom Verducci interviews Venezuelan MVP Maikel Garcia and his translator after the 3-2 victory over the United States at CreditDepot Park on March 17, 2026 in Miami, Fla. (Al Bello/Getty Images)
The telecast averaged 10,228,000 viewers, peaking at 12,148,000 from 10:30-10:45 PM ET on FOX.
That number is up 128% since Shohei Ohtani defeated Mike Trout in the Team USA-Japan WBC final on FS1 during the 2023 tournament to earn his nation’s third WBC win.
AFTER VENEZUELA’S DEFEAT AGAINST THE USA IN THE WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC, TRUMP RAISED EYEBROWS WITH HIS ‘STATEMENT’ COMMENT
While this game has all the excitement, WBC turned into an exciting tournament from the very beginning with the billiards game.
Whether it was feel-good stories like Ondřej Satoria’s standing ovation from Japanese fans at the Tokyo Dome during his recent trip to the Czech Republic, or Italy’s espresso machine’s home run celebration, viewers from all over tuned in to watch the magic on the diamond.
Fox Sports broadcaster Tom Verducci interviews Team Venezuela’s manager Omar López after a 3-2 victory over the United States at CreditDepot Park on March 17, 2026 in Miami, Fla. (Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
The tournament averaged 1,294,000 viewers on FOX, FS1 and FS2, making it the most-watched WBC in its 20-year history on English-language networks.
It looked like Venezuela would shut out Team USA, who had just two hits and four base runners in the bottom of the eighth inning when Bryce Harper walked to the plate.
The game turned when Harper belted a two-run homer to tie the game during the peak viewing window.
But Venezuela never blinked. Eugenio Suarez hit a line to left midfield and scored the game-winning double with a double.
Members of Team Venezuela celebrate with their gold medal after defeating the USA 3-2 at CreditDepot Park on March 17, 2026 in Miami, Florida. (Al Bello/Getty Images)
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Daniel Palencia closed things out for Venezuela and secured the win for Roman Anthony. The party attended Venezuela at CreditDepot Park.
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