Americas soccer appetite explodes since last World Cup on US soil

In 1994, when the FIFA World Cup arrived in the United States for the first time, much of the country viewed soccer as a curiosity.It was the sport that kids played on Saturday mornings before they headed to their Little League baseball game or their Pop Warner football practice. The 1994 World Cup changed the perception of soccer in America.

It helped launch Major League Soccer two years later, introducing the sport to millions of Americans.Now, 32 years later, as the 2026 FIFA World Cup brings the global game back to American soil, the numbers reveal something far more dramatic than mere curiosity. They reveal that America hasn’t just embraced soccer over the last three decades.It has become one of the sport’s most powerful consumer markets. According to a new report from Nielsen, U.S.

viewers spent a staggering 79.8 billion minutes watching soccer in 2025 alone.That figure represents a level of consumption that would have been unimaginable in 1994. For comparison, a July 4 knockout stage match between the United States and Brazil during the 1994 World Cup drew about 11 million American viewers, a record for soccer at the time. Flash forward to today and soccer isn’t just fighting for relevance anymore.

It’s competing for the country’s attention alongside the NFL, NBA and MLB. With the World Cup returning, Nielsen found that 33% of Americans expect their interest in soccer to increase, not just this summer but during the next 18 months.Among existing soccer fans, that number jumps to 64%. But the growth in soccer domestically isn’t just limited to television ratings. Nearly 80% of American soccer supporters use social media to receive their sports news and content.

That’s not just a marketer’s dream, but a number that is significantly higher than the general population.Millennials and Gen Z lead the way, as they are constantly active on their screens watching soccer matches, scrolling through highlights, posting about the sport, playi...