2026 Hall of Fame Game audience tops 7 million

The down-to-the-wire, walk-off winning edition of the 2026 Pro Football Hall of Fame Game presented by Novartis reminded fans that football is king. Or in this year’s case, Haynes King.

A combined over-the-air and streaming audience of 7 million viewers tuned in to watch the battle between Carolina Panthers and the Arizona Cardinals. The final play saw King, a rookie quarterback on the Panthers’ roster, lead his team down the field and score on a scramble with zeroes on the clock to cap a 33-30 victory.

Those 7 million viewers made the game the most watched Hall of Fame Game on NBC’s family of networks since 2017 (Cardinals-Cowboys) and the highest figure overall since 2021 (7.33 million on Fox for the Steelers-Cowboys).

According to Front Office Sports, the viewership number of this NFL’s first preseason game of the year tops any Major League Baseball game this season; every NHL game, including the Stanley Cup Finals; the 2026 Home Run Derby; the men’s and women’s finals at Wimbledon; and the final round of The Open in professional golf.

Check out some of the highlights from the Panthers’ thrilling 33-30 victory.