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The first clue to my cluelessness about the current popularity of professional international soccer among Americans was the grandkid wearing a Lionel Messi shirt. He’s 9.
That popularity is abundantly obvious right now as media coverage of the World Cup is everywhere, maybe bumping your favorite sport and team to a smaller headline. Fox Sports is showing all 104 matches live on one of its TV channels and by internet streaming. If you prefer Spanish, Telemundo shows every match live. Sports networks without broadcast rights are still giving the tournament major attention, as are print/online publications.
The U.S. team’s first game, against Paraguay, drew 18 million viewers, a record for a U.S. men’s national team game on English-language TV. Average viewership for the first weekend of games was almost 7 million, a 150% increase from four years ago.
Some particular circumstances are contributing to the numbers: The U.S. is hosting part of the tournament for the first time since 1994; the North American time zones are favorable for viewing; the event includes a record number of countries; and the U.S. team has a good chance to advance at least a couple of rounds.
So viewership comparisons to the World Cup four years ago – in Qatar during football season in the U.S. – need hedging, but enthusiasm for the current World Cup is part of a rise in interest in professional soccer in general among U.S. fans and media, according to my department colleague Dr. Andrew C. Billings, a widely known authority on sport communication.
During the 2025-26 season, U.S. fans watched 18 billion minutes of the English Premier League by way of internet streaming, according to NBCUniversal. The Arsenal vs. Manchester City game in April drew a Premier League record of 2.6 million U.S. viewers. Major League Soccer, a pro league in this country, has a long-term deal with Apple TV, though not everyone is happy with how that’s going.
According to a recent report by Nielsen, the U.S. has the fourth-largest soccer fan base globally, with 62.5 million followers. Almost 70% of respondents said their interest had increased in the past three years.
“This is clearly a sport that is trending up in American participation and viewing, and soccer boasts one of the youngest audiences in all of American sports media products,” Billings wrote in an email. “Some of this can be traced to families deciding football is too dangerous, leading to greater soccer participation. Some of this can be traced to the rise of streaming, which has led to people watching English Premier League.”
Another department colleague, instructor Brett Hudson, is one such person. He follows the Premier League, the Champions League, MLS and the USA teams. His soccer fandom didn’t start until he was captivated by the 2010 World Cup.
Hudson, a former sports reporter for The Tuscaloosa News, said in an email that he’s seen a vast increase in the quantity of soccer coverage from the American press. “Previously, major outlets such as ESPN might have two or three people covering soccer worldwide and heavily rely on wire services. Now, they have people focused on covering individual leagues” in the U.S. and Europe, plus various international tournaments.
In Alabama, Hudson believes he’s still among a minority, but a growing one. He thinks soccer is becoming more popular here because state colleges are attracting more out-of-state and international students, some of whom stay in the state after graduation. And in agreement with Billings, Hudson cites growing recognition of the potential physical harm of football.
Birmingham, including local news media, has supported pro soccer at many different points in time. That comes from a growing appreciation of the sport, from the desire to be part of a big event, and from national pride when a USA team is involved.
In 1996, Birmingham sold out Legion Field (80,000) for the U.S. vs. Argentina men’s Olympic match and outsold the three other first-round venues in total tickets for all games. The U.S. women’s national team has been well supported at multiple exhibitions in Birmingham (boosted at one point by 2004 gold medalist Cat Reddick from Birmingham*). The professional Birmingham Legion FC has played in the United Soccer League since 2019.
Two weeks ago, a capacity 88,000 people in Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn watched Messi and Argentina play a World Cup exhibition against Iceland, the largest crowd ever for a soccer game in this state.
Going back, say, 15 years or more, some coverage of international soccer sprang from the American sports media’s desire not to seem out of touch with the rest of the world. But today, media coverage is good business.
It’s also good journalism. While game action can be dramatic or dull, the sport offers constant newsworthy angles off the field. Such as fan passion stories — the fun ones about the over-the-top faithful and the horrific ones about the hooligans. Such as the country vs. country politics. Such as the perpetual corruption of world soccer’s governing body FIFA. All media gold.
*A key player on the current U.S. men’s World Cup team is Birmingham’s Chris Richards.
Tom Arenberg is an instructor of news media at the University of Alabama. He worked for The Birmingham News and the Alabama Media Group for 30 years. He published this commentary originally as a post on his blog, The Arenblog.
About News is a BirminghamWatch feature that publishes commentary by those who teach the craft and think about the values and performance of today’s journalism. BW shares links to About News articles on Facebook and invites readers to join the conversation there.
