Watch: 'Here to stay' - Fans react to the rise of soccer in the US
In many countries, football is more than a sport; it is a deeply rooted national passion cultivated over decades.
However, this cannot yet be said of the United States, one of the co-hosts of the 2026 World Cup, where traditional American sports have a longer history and dominate media coverage, sponsorships, and public discourse.
Soccer, as it is called in the US, has made significant progress since the country last hosted the men's World Cup in 1994. Nonetheless, it remains behind women's football, which holds a prominent global status and occupies a higher position in the US sports hierarchy.
As the US Men's National Team (USMNT) prepares to face Belgium on Monday evening for a spot in the quarterfinals, there is speculation whether this heightened national attention could propel the sport to new levels of popularity, challenging baseball, American football, basketball, and ice hockey.
Fans are gathering in large numbers to watch World Cup matches across the country. Celebrities and devoted football enthusiasts alike have been proudly wearing stars and stripes to support the USMNT.
Pop-up shops are bustling with football merchandise, and viewing parties are taking place in parks, shopping centers, and even museums.
The presence of USA fans in vibrant jerseys is common throughout host cities, and nearly every restaurant with a television has patrons engrossed in the latest match developments.
Dedicated supporters, many adorned with American flags and US squad apparel, shared with the BBC their belief that regardless of the team's outcome, this World Cup could represent a pivotal moment for soccer in the country.
While waiting in line for a burrito just before the USA vs. Turkey match in downtown Los Angeles, documentary filmmaker Erik Olsen, a veteran World Cup viewer, described the tournament as a unifying experience.
"To have all these different people come together to cheer on the US team, and maybe even their own team - if you're from Mexico or Argentina or someplace else - we need that kind of global spirit right now," he said.
Interest in soccer in the US is increasing but continues to face strong competition from other professional sports such as American football and basketball.
Steve Salcedo, a lifelong soccer fan who has supported both the US and Mexico teams during the tournament, noted that his son and his son's friends have embraced the sport more enthusiastically than he and his peers did at their age. He expressed confidence that the enthusiasm for soccer would persist beyond the World Cup.
"The hype is definitely here for the World Cup, it'll be here until the World Cup ends," he predicted. "Of course it's going to die down, but in general I think soccer is here to stay."
Keenah Pacheco, 16, who attended a fan zone with her mother and friend, shared that she previously cheered for Mexico but now supports the US team. The excitement surrounding the tournament has inspired her to consider playing soccer again.
"The last time I played soccer was when I was eight years old. Watching the World Cup has really made me want to play again, so it's really bringing out this passion back," she said.
This 2026 World Cup is setting records with TV ratings, historic ticket demand, and packed fan events across the host nations. Broadcasters reported an average US audience of 18 million tuned in to the USMNT's opener against Paraguay on Fox's platforms, with an additional seven million viewers watching on Spanish-language Telemundo.
While Mexico, also a tournament co-host, has traditionally embraced the sport more deeply, the US's role as co-host and the fact that most matches are held on US soil have contributed to increased American engagement with soccer.
US President Donald Trump, who has not yet attended any matches, described the attendance records as "a great tribute to the United States," and FIFA President Gianni Infantino called it the "most successful event in history."
This tournament features more matches than ever before, and North American stadiums have large capacities to accommodate growing numbers of fans, naturally increasing World Cup consumption.
FIFA announced last month that fan attendance exceeded 3.6 million in the first two weeks, surpassing the previous record of 3.58 million set in 1994, when the US last hosted the World Cup. Many attendees have been American fans, including those without family ties to other nations, as well as individuals adopting other countries.
Despite rising attendance and TV ratings comparable to the NBA Finals and the World Series, it remains uncertain how enduring this surge in interest will be. Some analysts argue that whether this marks a breakthrough moment for soccer in the US is yet to be determined.
Jeff Schneider, executive director of the Center for Sports, Entertainment, Media & Technology Law at the University of Southern California (USC), commented on the sport's growing status.
"It's gone from around the fringes to being mainstream in the sense that there is a strong minority group of people that love it - that's the biggest difference," he said.
Schneider noted that soccer, often perceived as a "foreign import" by many Americans, is unlikely to achieve the cultural prominence of American football or basketball, which have longer histories and developed during eras with less pervasive media when people engaged more actively in leisure activities.
However, he acknowledged a firmly established base of loyal fans who both watch and play soccer, and that this number is growing.
This growth is largely attributed to youth sports.
Steve Bank, a sports law expert at the University of California Los Angeles School of Law, explained that soccer has gained popularity as youth participation in American football has declined.
"Soccer has picked up where [American] football as a youth sport has declined," he said. "In [American] football, people worry about concussions, and that kind of thing has made it more problematic over the years."
If the national team advances further in the tournament, the chances of soccer making significant strides in the US will increase. Belgium is the next opponent on Monday evening, and the team's performance is under heightened scrutiny following the controversial rescinding of striker Folarin Balogun's red card after a phone call between Trump and Infantino.
The foundations for growth were laid 30 years ago when Major League Soccer (MLS) was established as part of the agreement linked to the 1994 World Cup hosting. MLS now comprises 30 teams across the US and Canada and features global stars such as Lionel Messi.
Nevertheless, the largest audiences in the US are drawn to the English Premier League and Spain's La Liga, which have contributed to a sharp increase in spending on football media rights, according to research by Ampere Analysis.
This expansion has made the US the largest foreign market for the four major European leagues.
A recent Ampere survey of sports fans found that soccer has narrowly surpassed baseball as the third most popular sport in the US, with 10% of Americans naming it their favorite.
Challenges and Structural Barriers
Despite these positive trends, challenges remain, particularly regarding investment levels.
Steve Bank noted that attempting to transplant the European league system directly to the US was unrealistic.
Other analysts point to structural barriers that hinder some Americans from fully connecting with soccer. American sports typically provide definitive, immediate results with higher scores—basketball games often exceed triple digits.
Jeff Schneider explained:
"You have to be okay with not winning [in football], and Americans are not okay with not winning," said Schneider, a USC law professor specializing in sport, entertainment, and media.
"One of the main reasons why Americans have never adopted soccer is because it's impossible to dominate," he added. "You can't win year after year after year after year, like the Patriots or the Yankees. They're bandwagon hoppers, they love to get on the bandwagon for a good team, and that's not soccer."
Nonetheless, several factors are helping to bring soccer into the mainstream in the US. These include the rise of streaming and television programming, which have made matches more accessible, as well as football-related entertainment shows such as Ted Lasso and Welcome to Wrexham, both of which humorously translate the sport for American audiences.
Immigration from football-passionate countries has also contributed, along with the widespread popularity of FIFA video games, according to Bank.
Longtime US soccer fans remain optimistic about the sport's domestic future.
Olsen, still waiting in the long line for a burrito at the fan zone in downtown LA, remarked that this year's tournament feels different.
"There's something about the fact this team is young and hungry and doing well that makes me feel there could be kind of a sea change about soccer in the US."
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