The United States of America previously hosted the FIFA Soccer World Cup in 1994, but the event was something of a sideshow in its own country. The nation’s elite league had only just been founded, and few sports fans in the US were switched on by the competition.
Now, thirty-two years on from the tournament, the World Cup is returning to North America once again, and this time, America is ready.
Extended Hosting
The 2026 edition of the FIFA World Cup will be hosted by three separate North American countries. The United States, Canada and Mexico will share the honours, but the bulk of the games will be held in the US.
The tournament should have a different feel from the 1994 competition. America has a more competitive side, while its top league has welcomed some of the biggest stars in the sport. Soccer will always battle for air time with NFL, basketball, baseball and hockey, but figures suggest it’s enjoying a much wider audience.
Interest Increases
There’s always been interest in the English Premier League on the western side of the Atlantic, but viewing figures for the 2023/24 season broke all previous records. According to NBC Universal, the number of Americans tuning into games averaged out at an impressive 546,000 per match.
There could be external reasons why those numbers have been boosted. Since 2018, the United States has slowly opened up to legalized sports betting, and 38 states now offer this in some form. Soccer is the most popular sport among the betting community, and there is a wide range of Premier League odds for Americans to access.
TV coverage has also increased, so it’s easier for viewers in the United States to access their favorite EPL teams. It’s a perfect storm and it’s led to further questions among the Premier League senior officials.
Growing the Game
Since Major League Soccer was incepted on the back of the 1994 World Cup, some of the biggest names in the game have featured in the division. Global superstars such as Lionel Messi, David Beckham, David Villa, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Robbie Keane, and France’s World Cup winning goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, have all played in MLS.
Cynics used to say that some of these players used to come to MLS at the ends of their careers for one last big payday. There may have been an element of truth in that theory in the past, but it doesn’t apply in the modern day. Beckham was in his prime when he appeared for LA Galaxy, while Messi, Ibrahimovic and Lloris all had plenty to offer their respective franchises.
The presence of such stars attracts more viewers to MLS, while it could also inspire the next generation of American soccer players.
Sport for All
Recent statistics show a rise in the number of people playing soccer across the United States. The figures peaked in 2011, but there was a subsequent dip in participation. It’s unclear why that was the case, but thankfully the trend is on the up.
Perhaps anticipation for the 2026 World Cup is growing, as, in 2023, the numbers of people playing soccer rose above 14 million for the first time in 12 years. Those are healthy figures and it’s certain that some of those players will feature for the United States Men’s and Women’s soccer teams in the future.
Future Plans
One of the most debated suggestions involves tentative plans to take the Premier League into other countries. The EPL is aware of that global interest, and knows that there will be a growing audience in places such as the USA, Saudi Arabia and South Korea.
Premier League teams already play a number of pre-season friendlies in these regions, and some would see a competitive divisional game as a logical next step. The majority of fans, however, feel that those matches should stay in the UK.
Any such deal would mirror that of the NFL which has had an overseas program in place for many years. The League is currently under contract with the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to host regular season NFL games through to 2030, while it has also used Wembley Stadium in the past.
It’s far from a done deal, but if the Premier League is to develop interest in other territories, talks about hosting games in the USA and elsewhere will continue.
The transformation between the 1994 and 2026 World Cups will be obvious once the tournament comes around. The initial event had a large element of showbiz, which was encapsulated by Diana Ross’ missed penalty in the opening ceremony.
The next World Cup will also have a glitzy feel, but Americans will take it much more seriously. In thirty years, their own elite division has become more competitive, while greater interest in the English Premier League means that more Americans are now on board with soccer.
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