World Cup Final Doesn't Score As Most-Watched Event Ever

The World Cup championship match will fail to meet soccer officials' hopes of being the most-watched event ever.

Spain wins World Cup

Sunday's 2010 FIFA World Cup championship attracted 700 million viewers worldwide, according to FIFA's estimates — falling well short of the 1 billion who tuned in for parts of the Beijing Olympics opening ceremonies.

Spain's 1-0 victory over the Netherlands managed to become the most-watched men's World Cup game in the United States — surpassing the 14.86 million viewers for the U.S. loss to Ghana. Some 15.5 million viewers tuned in for the final game, according to ESPN.

U.S.-Ghana World Cup match attracts record 14.86 million viewers

The 62 games throughout the cup— not including the final two matches — averaged about 3 million viewers in airings on ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC.