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The World Cup has been in full swing for a few weeks, and competition continues to heat up as more teams get knocked out. But as international fans flock to American host cities to passionately cheer on their teams, how invested are American adults here at home?
YouGov recently surveyed ~1,000 Americans before and during World Cup play, and their findings are a good reminder that “hosting the world’s biggest sporting event” doesn’t automatically mean you’ve captured the American public’s attention.
Consider these stats from late May, before competition kicked off: While nearly 3 in 10 Americans (29%) said they’re at least somewhat interested in the 2026 World Cup, a majority (54%) said they’re not interested at all, and 59% said they didn’t expect to watch any matches.
And even as competition has narrowed and videos of soccer fans enjoying the festivities have taken over social media, Americans’ interest in the World Cup continued to remain low when YouGov asked again in late June. While interest ticked up slightly to 35% who said they’re at least somewhat interested, nearly half(46%) of Americans still said they were not at all interested. That’s a big gap between cultural significance and host audience engagement.
The culprit for this low excitement? Lack of American interest in soccer: 70% said they were not very or not at all interested in soccer before the Cup began. Thatinterest is much lower than other sports: for context, a recent Reagan Foundation survey of 1,542 US adults found that just 18% of US adults watch Major League Soccer a few times a year, compared to 80% who watch NFL games, 52% who watch the NBA, and 30% who watch NHL games.
Though their enthusiasm might be lacking, American adults did agree that having the US hosting the FIFA World Cup was positive. 50% of adults thought hosting the Cup would have a positive impact on the US, and a plurality (44%) thought it would have a positive impact on how the rest of the world perceives the United States.
While interest remains modest today, Americans are optimistic about the benefits of hosting the World Cup – and major sporting events often build momentum as memorable moments unfold.
See the full results from YouGov:
See the Reagan Foundation survey results here:
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