Understanding America's soccer nations

The staggering World Cup crowds filled with partisans in 11 cities around the United States and five in our soccer neighbors Canada and Mexico are vibrant reminders of the global nature of the sport. The stunning TV ratings are a demonstration that the support is not only international, but domestic too. This Men's World Cup may be a big enough success that FIFA considers fast-tracking a return to Concacaf sooner rather than later (2038 is the next opening).

Here is not merely a nation but a teeming nation of nations. – Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass, 1855

America contains within it many nations. These are both the functional nations of the pre-settlement Native tribes, the assemblage of immigrants from lands far and wide, and the cultural differences within the country that have been attempted to be labeled for years.

The sport we Sounders at Heart love is an excellent example of how these nations of nations interact within the United States.

Stadiums are full of nationals and multi-generational families, most of whom live in the United States. In Seattle the crowds of Bosnians, Egyptians, Iranians, Belgians, Australians, and yes even Qataris came from neighborhoods and scattered cities to see their home nation perform while living in their adopted nation.

This has been true throughout the tournament. Prior to the World Cup, international tourism to the United States was in its second down year, off by 14% year-to-year. During the World Cup hotel stays are up a mild 1% compared to the slow summer of 2025.

And yet the crowds are massive. Capacity is at 99.7% according to FIFA. This Cup is already a record setter for total attendance and for average attendance.

Soccer in the United States is massive.

It's hidden by its diversity of language.

The easiest example of soccer's diversity in the United States is that Spanish-language coverage has 49% of the total audience during the World Cup. The audience is massive. Games are averaging over 10 million viewers across languages and platforms. Those numbers will go up as long as the US and Mexico remain in the tournament.

Soccer also remains hidden by its diversity of teams. Soccer fandom isn't merely bifurcated, it is split between three primary national teams with dozens of others also being popular.

The leagues and teams that draw attention are scattered between Mexico, England, Spain, Germany, the United States, Italy, France, and Canada. Those popular teams include men's and women's sides playing on nearly a dozen TV networks and platforms.

Millions of Americans are watching soccer every week. They are hidden in a nation that watches in bars on Saturday mornings focusing their energies on the high-quality play in Europe. That nation is split a few ways too – people with familial connections to the city, people who visited/worked there, people who discovered a passion there.

There's a nation of American soccer fans filling living rooms and restaurants on Friday evenings their eyes turning south to Liga MX. They are multigenerational, frequently bilingual and power the FMF and those teams' revenue during friendlies within the USA.

A nation of soccer fans show up to support the US domestic leagues, all trending with higher attendances. Seven of the 30 most valuable soccer teams in the world are here in this nation of soccer nations. There are more professional soccer teams than ever in the US. More than 100 men's sides and nearly 30 women's teams scattered between domestic soccer powerhouses like Seattle, Los Angeles, Miami and smaller cities like Boise, Idaho or Greenville, S.C.

All of these soccer nations overlap. Membership in one doesn't preclude membership in another. A Sounders fan could be a Mexican NT fan. A USMNT fan could root for Bayern. The Spokane Velocity fan might also be an Egyptian who watches Liverpool.

Nothing could be more American than that. Our soccer nation is the wonderful stew that is America – distinct, diverse, intertwined, open, welcoming. We American soccer fans are tens of millions. No longer a quaint subculture hidden in dark bars and passing VHS tapes, American soccer is absolutely thriving because of its multitudes of ways to experience it.

America is a teeming nation of soccer.

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World Cup

Next match in Seattle: July 1 at 1 pm PT between Renton-based Belgium and opponent TBD after today's matches.
Next USMNT match: July 1 at 5 pm PT against Bosnia-Herzegovina in Santa Clara, Calif.
Next Mexico MNT match: June 30 at 7 pm PT against an opponent TBD in Mexico City.

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