The World Baseball Classic’s (WBC) highly-anticipated USA vs Japan championship match has become the most-watched WBC game telecast ever on American television, drawing in 5.2 million viewers.

Viewership for Japan’s 3-2 victory over the USA shattered the Classic’s previous record of the 2017 USA vs Puerto Rico final, which drew 3.05 million viewers.

The final generated a 69% increase in viewership from the last WBC final in 2017 from US viewers across the Fox Sports’ streaming platforms, Fox Deportes, and the FS1 cable network, which averaged 4.48 million viewers alone, higher than all but three Division Series playoff games last season.

This season marks the first year that Fox’s platforms have broadcasted the tournament, with the MLB confirming the Classic’s return in 2026, setting the league up for a major payday.

The record viewership follows a surge in significant fan interest in baseball, with the first round of the tournament alone achieving tournament consumption records in attendance, social media, and global viewership.

This announcement comes after the MLB reportedly agreed a deal to stream all minor league games for free.