A bold claim by former NFL wide receiver Josh Gordon has sparked a heated debate among football fans.

During his latest appearance on the Kick Live Stream with N3ON on June 22, Gordon suggested the Super Bowl is a bigger event than the FIFA World Cup while discussing the global reach of American Football.

"It’s a bigger show [Super Bowl]," said the former Cleveland Browns player as found in the clip posted by Dov Kleiman on X. "It’s a better show. We’re going to have more eyes on it, so football, I guess, is bigger." 

Gordon believes that though 'International Soccer is way bigger', American Sports monetize better, and this take quickly drew criticism on social media from fans who argued the numbers tell a very different story.

The FIFA World Cup is bigger compared to the NFL Super Bowl on a global scale, based on viewership, with nearly 1.5 billion viewers for the 2022 finale and 5.6 billion viewers across all the matches.

While the Super Bowl dominates in the U.S., with over 127 million (95% of the audience from the U.S.) and 190 million globally, according to WSN.com.

But the comparison broadens to the time between two Super Bowls and World Cups, as the NFL Super Bowl is held annually while the World Cup is conducted once every four years.

When it comes to terms of high-impact advertising value, the Super Bowl dominates. A single 30-minute commercial costs around $8 million (during Super Bowl LX in 2026).

For the World Cup, it ranges around $300,000 for a 30-second spot during a regular match and $1 million (approx.) for the final match in 2022.

Each event leads in different categories, but the comparison still sparked a heated debate, as many fans disagreed with Gordon's comments.

Fans fired back at Gordon's World Cup comparison

Gordon's claim of the Super Bowl being 'a better show' than the World Cup gained a heated response from both the NFL and soccer fans across social media.

One fan talked about the larger audience the World Cup attracts, whereas the Super Bowl is more popular in the U.S.

"At least fact-check before you make a public statement. It's not even close. Super Bowl is more popular in the U.S. only," he commented.

Another fan backed up his claim with the stats of the viewership of both big sports events to counter the argument, as the World Cup attracts a wider global audience in over 200 countries and territories.

"Eh Eh Eh wrong answer!!! I think SB in 25 was the most watched with just under 130 million worldwide. A World Cup final averages well over a billion (essentially 10 times the Super Bowl). It's a global sport. I love the NFL, but that comment/take is ignorant," the fan wrote.

A fan questioned whether Gordon was considering the US audience alone, as the worldwide viewership numbers are different.

"Is Josh counting only US viewership? Worldwide numbers tell a different story," he commented.

One fan argued that while the NFL may be America's sport, a soccer match does not come close to matching the excitement and spectacle of the Super Bowl.

"I love the NFL, but to see that many Argentine fans cheering on Messi in the Cowboys Stadium is absolutely amazing!! Totally more exciting than any SB I've seen in my 45 years!" the comment read.

With the Super Bowl country now hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the debate gets bigger.

What do you think of Gordon's take? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Archana Ramakrishnan

Edited by

Soheli Tarafdar