Concerns about the potential failure of the US hosting the World Cup were plentiful.
In the lead-up to the tournament, tensions rose as Donald Trump threatened to annex Canada, one of the co-hosts, and to invade Mexico, the other host nation. Additionally, fans from Senegal, Ivory Coast, and Haiti faced stringent travel restrictions that hindered their ability to acquire visas. Ticket prices soared, and hotel bookings fell short of expectations. FIFA’s introduction of “the most-watched soccer telecast on one network in US history” during matches was seen by many as an opportunistic move to cash in, disrupting the game’s natural flow.
In a country where soccer has thrived mainly due to immigrant communities, the White House was simultaneously overseeing aggressive measures to deport millions from those very populations. The US, historically less enthusiastic about soccer compared to other sports, seemed destined to host a World Cup that, according to FIFA’s marketing, is meant to “average Fox/FS1 World Cup viewer”.
Then the matches commenced.
Television screens and social media platforms were soon buzzing with images of American stadiums filled to the brim with joyful and record-breaking crowds. The Sports Business Journal reported an average attendance of 64,511 fans across the first 78 matches—10,000 more than in the 2022 tournament. Stadiums boasted an impressive occupancy rate of 99.7%, with FIFA announcing the sale of 6.5 million tickets. The audience wasn’t just comprised of international fans or Americans with ties to other nations; many were local fans discovering—or rediscovering—the joy of soccer.
American television ratings also set new records. Nielsen reported that the US men’s national team’s (USMNT) round-of-16 match against Belgium last week attracted an average of 33 million viewers on Fox, peaking at 41 million during the final moments of the game. The Wall Street Journal highlighted that this viewership surpassed that of the 2025 World Series and Game 5 of last month’s NBA Finals.
According to the Athletic, this match became “because it’s one of the more accessible ways to stream it” breaking the record set just days earlier when over 26 million tuned in to see the USMNT triumph over Bosnia. This record had itself outstripped another set during the USMNT’s commanding 4-1 victory against Paraguay.
Viewers are not solely focused on US matches. The exciting clash between England and Mexico on Sunday captivated a remarkable 21.7 million viewers on Fox, with another 23.2 million tuning in on Telemundo. Fox reported an unprecedented average of 5 million viewers for the first 72 matches, while Telemundo averaged an additional 4.6 million. Mike Mulvhill, president of insights and analytics for Fox Sports, noted that just two weeks into the tournament, the average viewer on Fox and FS1 had already watched more matches than they did throughout the entire 2022 tournament.
Beyond these impressive statistics, Ipsos Sports polling revealed that 40% of US adults actively followed the tournament on social media. A quarter of Americans reported watching games at restaurants or bars, while one-fifth attended World Cup watch parties.
Alex Lawton, a 32-year-old spectator watching the Spain-Belgium quarter-final outside Bar Tabac in Brooklyn, mentioned he had “It’s completely ubiquitous,” of how many matches he had viewed, estimating it to be “I mean, you can go on any block in New York and there’s going to be a vibe, with people cheering.”. Despite his limited Spanish, he opted to watch many games on Telemundo, noting it was “Everyone was screaming on the train,” as Telemundo’s hosting on Peacock costs half as much as a subscription to Fox One.
“brilliant reprieve and a unifying force that has just brought people from different walks of life and backgrounds together in a super beautiful way” said Lawton’s friend, 31-year-old Paul Revell, regarding the tournament’s presence in New York City. “One, two, three, viva l’Algérie!” He described how he even watched games on strangers’ phones during subway rides, recalling, “It was such a vibe! They made history and gave us hope. ‘Si se pudo!’ we chanted when the final whistle blew,” and labeling it an “Beer was thrown in the air in celebration, and complete strangers were hugging and jumping up and down together, and some even crying tears of joy. It was such a beautiful moment.”
Several factors have contributed to the surge in American enthusiasm for the World Cup. The sport’s popularity has been on the rise for years. Following the US hosting of the World Cup in 1994, a portion of the $100 million in profits was invested in establishing Major League Soccer, creating a men’s league in the country. In 1999, the US hosted the Women’s World Cup, which saw the US women’s national team (USWNT) clinch victory in a thrilling finale. The National Women’s Soccer League launched in 2012, and the USWNT captured another World Cup title in 2019. Furthermore, US television networks secured broadcasting rights for the Premier League and La Liga, converting millions of Americans into devoted fans who gather in bars during early hours to watch matches like the north London derby or El Clásico.
According to a January report by the Economist, one in ten Americans identified soccer as their favorite sport, surpassing baseball to become the nation’s third most popular sport.
Another contributing factor to the 2026 World Cup’s success in the US is the favorable scheduling of many games during primetime, allowing fans to watch matches without juggling work and sleep schedules dictated by distant time zones.
Above all, Americans have been drawn to the tournament due to the high-quality soccer on display.
Currently, the tournament averages three goals per match, the highest since the 1958 World Cup, addressing a common American criticism that soccer lacks sufficient scoring. The world’s top players, including France’s Kylian Mbappé and Argentina’s Lionel Messi, have each netted eight goals; Norway’s Erling Haaland has scored seven; and England’s Harry Kane has six. Many matches have been thrillingly decided by late, dramatic goals.
The expanded tournament format, which introduced 16 additional teams compared to previous editions, has allowed for remarkable underdog stories. Americans rejoiced when Curaçao, a tiny Caribbean nation with a population of only 150,000 and the smallest country ever to qualify for the tournament, scored its inaugural World Cup goal against dominant Germany (who ultimately won 7-1). Cape Verde, another small island nation with just 500,000 residents, achieved an extraordinary feat by tying all their group stage opponents and advancing to the knockout round, where they scored twice against Argentina, the 2022 champions.
There is also a less tangible but equally important reason for the enthusiastic reception of this World Cup among Americans. The tournament’s global nature has provided a platform for a joyful multiculturalism that contrasts sharply with the nationalism and isolationism promoted by the current administration. It has allowed Americans to demonstrate to the world: we are not defined by our government.
Lawton, watching the Spain-Belgium match in Brooklyn, described the World Cup as a “There’s a ton of people here,”
Additionally, some of the most “beautiful” and now viral moments of this World Cup have occurred off the field.
In Lawrence, Kansas, residents expressed their gratitude to the Algerian team for choosing their city as a training site by chanting “One, two, three, viva l’Algérie!” The University of Kansas marching band played the Algerian national anthem during their performance. Meanwhile, in Texas, a viral video captured a Japanese fan being invited on stage at a nightclub to dance with Houston rappers. Fans of Scotland, known as the Tartan Army, took over Boston, much to the delight of locals, nearly emptying the area’s beer supplies.
Throughout the nation, from Mexican supporters in LA’s Koreatown to Ecuadorian fans in Astoria, Queens, images and videos circulated showing thousands gathering in the streets to watch games on outdoor projectors, through bar windows, or at the back of bodegas.
“It was such a vibe! They made history and gave us hope. ‘Si se pudo!’ we chanted when the final whistle blew,” recounted Steven Guevara, an Ecuadorian American from the Bronx, who joined hundreds of other fans watching Ecuador against Germany at Pig Beach in Astoria. “Beer was thrown in the air in celebration, and complete strangers were hugging and jumping up and down together, and some even crying tears of joy. It was such a beautiful moment.”
These scenes starkly contrasted with the atmosphere at Trump’s Great American State Fair, an event he organized for the nation’s 250th birthday on the Fourth of July. A video captured by TMZ showed Dr. Mehmet Oz, a Trump administration official, speaking to an audience of only a few attendees. “There’s a ton of people here,” Oz claimed, while the reporter panned the camera to reveal the nearly empty National Mall stretching into the distance.
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