The United States is not a soccer country yet, but the 2022 World Cup has been a massive boost to the sport’s popularity.
Team USA’s showing at this year’s tournament translated to high engagement for fans and bodes well for the 2026 World Cup in the US, Mexico, and Canada.
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The 15.3 million viewers watching the US-England match was the largest men’s soccer viewing audience for English-language television in the US ever, beating out the 1994 World Cup final, which had 14.5 million viewers.
Although the figure lags behind the 2015 Women’s World Cup final, which drew 25.4 million viewers, making it the most-watched soccer match in US television history, it added to the progress “The Beautiful Game” has made since the US was eliminated in the 2014 Men’s World Cup.
Supporters cheer on the stands before the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between the Netherlands and the United States at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, Qatar, Saturday, Dec. 3, 2022. At a World Cup that has become a political lightning rod, it comes as no surprise that soccer fans’ sartorial style has sparked controversy. At the first World Cup in the Middle East, fans from around the world have refashioned traditional Gulf Arab headdresses and robes.
(AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
In the eight years between World Cup appearances for the men’s team, the success of the US women’s team has boosted the sport. The women won their third World Cup in 2015, their first since 1999, and followed up by winning a fourth World Cup in 2019. Viewership for both the 2015 and 2019 finals was strong, approaching the viewership of the college basketball national championship games in the same years.
Despite falling just short of matching the viewership for the 2014 round of 16 match, the USMNT’s elimination at the hands of the Netherlands had 12.9 million viewers despite the worse time slot when compared to 2014.
The interest in soccer was propped up by the women when the men failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, but qualifying for the 2022 World Cup was pivotal to continuing the momentum into the 2026 World Cup.
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The 2026 World Cup is the first of two major sporting events happening in the US, with the other being the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. The advantage the World Cup will have is that games will be played across the country, from Los Angeles to New York to Miami to Kansas City, Missouri.
If this year’s World Cup is any indication, 2026 could be a massive leap for soccer’s popularity in the US
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