There are over 136 million football fans in North America, up 10.9 per cent from 5 years ago, according to research from Nielsen in a new research report titled The Fans Behind The Game: FIFA World Cup 2026 Edition.

Leading into the tournament, which kicks off on June 11th, the report examines audience, engagement, content and format and utilised trended data to explore the current fan landscape in the US, Canada and Mexico.

“Nielsen’s new report illustrates the profound and measurable surge in popularity of soccer in North America, reinforcing the decision to host the FIFA World Cup 2026 across the continent,” said a FIFA spokesperson. “The research findings also underscore the success of the efforts that have taken place to grow the game and expand the sport’s global reach.”

Key findings include:

Popularity:

• Over the past five years football fandom in North America has experienced significant growth – with a 10.9 per cent leap from May 2020 to May 2025, marked by surging viewership of TV broadcasts.

• The US has the fourth largest football fanbase in the world with 62.5 million fans

• 64 per cent of fans expect their interest in football to keep climbing

• Football is the world’s most popular sport and the most popular sport in Mexico (63 per cent) – with the average Mexican fan following the sport for around 14 years. In the US and Canada, soccer faces more competition –  it ranks 3rd (37 per cent) in Canada and 4th (31 per cent) in the US, trailing to domestic sports like ice hockey and American football.

• About a quarter of football fans in North America became a fan in the last five years, with the majority (68 per cent) of fans claiming their interest has increased in the last three years as the build up to the 2026 World Cup intensified.

Fans’ distinctive qualities:  

• Fans in the US are younger (33) and more affluent than the US general population.

• 76 per cent of US football fans are Millennials or Gen Z

• Higher female engagement is a key differentiator in North America vs Europe (43 per cent vs 36 per cent)

• Across North America, football plays a significant / extremely significant role in the livelihood of individuals including personal enjoyment (29 per cent), social connection and community (14 per cent), family bonding and tradition (12 per cent), and physical fitness and health benefits (11 per cent).

How Viewers Consume Content:

• North America follows similar media engagement patterns to Europe, with 72 per cent watching the game via TV or streaming platforms (47 per cent) with social media (47 per cent) being the next most popular.

• More Mexicans (51 per cent) are likely to watch broadcasts of live matches – usually with family and friends (the ones that brought them into the sport) at home.

• Canadians lean into short-form content (33 per cent), preferring to watch highlights and social media content.

Economic Impact:

The report also delved into the economic impact FIFA can create. As an example, the FIFA Club World Cup last summer (June 14th to July 13th 2025) in major US cities was a huge commercial success with the economic outcome generating a Gross Output of $17.1 billion and contributing $9.6 billion to the Gross Domestic Product in the US. The research shows the event created 105,000 Full-Time Equivalent jobs and generated $5.8 billion in Labor Income. The event is projected to generate $1.9 billion in direct and indirect taxes for the government.

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Categories: Articles, Consumer Behaviour, Research

Tags: fifa, football, Mexico, nielsen, usa, World Cup