The United States and Canada are both known for being sports loving nations. From the National Football League and Major League Baseball to the National Basketball Association and the National Hockey League, professional level sport is an important aspect of North American culture.
While not currently the most popular sport in terms of viewership and fan numbers, both soccer and football are getting more and more popular in America, particularly with the arrival of Lionel Messi in 2023. In 2022, 8 percent of Americans surveyed said that soccer was their favorite sport, this is a significant rise from the 0.5 percent in 1972 and 2 percent figure in 2004. In fact, soccer is now doing better than hockey, golf and motor racing in the popularity polls.
It is very likely that we will see this figure continue to rise at a steady rate in the years ahead, given that most soccer fans are in the younger generations and aged between 18 and 29. Also, the commencement of Major League Soccer (MLS) in 1996 and its continued expansion has played a crucial role in the sport's growth.
Furthermore, American football (the NFL in particular) is the top sport for television and in-person spectatorship across the age groups. The total attendance for games in the regular season of the NFL has consistently amounted to more than 18 million per season.
Grassroots soccer has enabled growth
Soccer is played at youth level all across the United States and Canada. Millions of children across both countries participate in programmes and leagues and part of the game’s appeal is the lack of specialist equipment required for participation.
American soccer legends such as Clint Dempsey, Brad Friedel and Landon Donovan have provided great inspiration to youth players and helped to bring attention to North American talent in the sport. Friedel, for example, has set the record for American players with a total of more than 450 Premier League appearances during this time at clubs such as Liverpool, Blackburn Rovers, Aston Villa and Tottenham. He is one of just six goalkeepers to score in the league’s history.
Betting on soccer online is yet to be legalized nationwide
Trends in soccer betting have also helped with the growth of this sport. The legality of betting in the United States and Canada differs in different regions of each location, however in recent times there has been a general trend with more and more states enjoying online betting legalization, such as places like Illinois, New Jersey and Pennsylvania in the United States. In these areas, fans of online betting can make the most of special football betting offers such as new sign-up bonuses and free bets.
North America is set to host the World Cup in two years time
The expansion of soccer and football in the United States and Canada is now almost guaranteed as the US, Canada and Mexico are set to jointly host the football World Cup in 2026. This will mark the 23rd men’s FIFA world cup and will be the first North American world cup since the 1994 season.
How will this encourage growth for the sport in this region?
This monumental event will have an incredible impact on all levels of the sport, from grassroots right up to the professional level. Firstly, it will achieve global attention and attract millions of viewers worldwide, showcasing the region’s best soccer infrastructure on a global stage.
The media coverage in the run-up and during the June and July event will be significant, with stories featuring local football and soccer teams, players and the communities that surround them being featured in news and sports broadcasting.
Inevitably, hosting the World Cup will spark huge infrastructure improvements and state of the art facilities will be built. These will then benefit local clubs and teams long after the World Cup has completed in the region.
An improved environment with better equipment and support can only be encouraging to new players and will likely help to increase the number of youngsters interested in taking up the sport.
The World Cup will bring with it many new job opportunities and financial investment in youth teams and will improve the region's ability to host all types of soccer tournaments in the years following the tournament.
Final thoughts
Interest, participation in and spectatorship for soccer is certainly on the rise in both the United States and Canada. Thanks for the trend towards betting legalization and the upcoming 2026 World Cup, opportunities to enjoy soccer are only going to improve in the months and years ahead.