Nielsen: 75% of Americans say they’re football fans
October 14, 2026



Research from Nielsen shows a significant surge in football fandom in the US on the heels of the FIFA World Cup 2026.

Nielsen’s proprietary Fan Insights data show that the number of people identifying as football fans in the US jumped from 66.8 million in July 2025 to 75.2 million in July 2026. Overall, over the past 5 years, football (or ‘soccer’ in the US) fandom has grown 27 per cent from ’22 to ’26, representing 16 million fans.


The World Cup’s record television audiences have carried over to US football viewership of the world’s top leagues, particularly among younger fans.

Since MLS resumed play following the FIFA World Cup 26 break, regular-season audiences on FOX and FS1 were up 55 per cent among Men 18–34 and 29 per cent among Adults 18–34 compared to pre-World Cup regular-season matches.

Premier League on NBC/USA Network is up +30 per cent in Adults 18–34 (including Spanish broadcasts)

LaLiga viewership across ESPN, ESPN2, ABC and ESPN Deportes is up +42 per cent year-over-year across English-and-Spanish-language broadcasts, including a +60 per cent increase among Persons 18-34.

Nielsen’s Fan Insights data also indicates a surge in MLS fandom over the past 5 years, with +28 per cent growth from ’22 to ’26, representing +11.7 million fans.

“The FIFA World Cup 2026 has served as a powerful catalyst for soccer’s explosive growth across North America,” said Seth Ladetsky, Global Head of Sports, Nielsen. “Our data shows that fandom is not only reaching record highs, but it is also expanding rapidly among younger, diverse audiences and carrying over into major domestic and international leagues.”