The 2026 World Cup starts today in Mexico and no longer finds the United States watching soccer from the outside. That old idea that soccer was a minor, almost imported sport, is beginning to fall short. The country arrives at the tournament with 62.5 million fans and with a base that has clearly grown in recent years.

The World Cup begins this June 11 with Mexico against South Africa at the Mexico City Stadium, the first of the 104 matches that will be played in Mexico, the United States and Canada, according to the official FIFA calendar. But the background data goes beyond the opening match: North America already has more than 136 million soccer fans and that community has grown 10.9% in the last five years.

Nielsen's report, The Fans Behind The Game: FIFA World Cup 2026 Edition, shows that the World Cup comes at a perfect time for football in the region. Not because it is going to invent a hobby out of nothing, but because it lands on something that was already growing: young people who consume soccer all day, Hispanic families who have always lived it, women who promoted the sport from the American team and a generation that discovered the game through networks, video games, Messi, the MLS or the major European leagues.

You can see: A supercomputer simulated the 2026 World Cup 10,000 times and this would be the champion

The United States no longer expects soccer to “hit”

For decades, each World Cup raised the same question: whether this time soccer was finally going to conquer the United States. In 2026, the question changes. Football is already installed. What is measured now is how far it can grow.

According to Nielsen, the United States has 62.5 million soccer fans. The figure places the country among the largest fan bases in the world and confirms that the tournament arrives with a much more mature audience than in 1994, when the United States last hosted a World Cup.

But growth is not explained only by quantity. The American soccer fan is different from that of other major leagues in the country. It has an average age of 33 years and 76% belong to the Millennial or Gen Z generations. This data changes consumption. This World Cup is not going to be experienced only in front of the television. It will also be played on the cell phone, in clips, in memes, in reactions, in WhatsApp groups, in apps, in bars and in fan zones.

Hispanics are not an extra audience: they are part of the engine

According to the Nielsen report, in the 2026 World Cup it would be a big mistake to treat the Hispanic audience as a side segment. In the United States, Hispanics are part of the soccer heart of the country.

The Nielsen report indicates that 38% of Hispanics in the United States identify as World Cup fans. Among first- and second-generation Hispanics, the number rises to 47%.

That explains why this World Cup will have a special emotional charge. For millions of families, soccer didn't start with a marketing campaign or a star joining the MLS. It comes from before: from the national team of the country of origin, from matches in Spanish, from family Sundays, from full bars, from inherited shirts and from a way of feeling close to home even when living far away.

There is a good part of the strength of the tournament in the United States. The World Cup not only brings together those who discovered football recently. It also activates memories, identities and rivalries that were already alive.

A young, digital and less patient fan

The soccer fan who comes to this World Cup does not wait for the game to start to participate. Arrive early, comment during, and continue after.

Nielsen shows that 65% of World Cup fans in the United States plan to watch full games. But almost the same universe is also moved by digital: 59% expect to interact on social networks or apps linked to the tournament.

This marks a strong difference with other World Cup cycles. The match matters, of course. But around the match there is another experience: highlights, debates, short videos, creators, predictions, bets, reactions and conversations in several languages ​​at the same time.

The 2026 World Cup will not only be on television. It will be a live competition and, at the same time, a permanent flow of content.

Mexico, the United States and Canada: three ways to experience the same tournament

The start in Mexico has historical meaning. There football is part of daily life. Nielsen points out that 67% of the Mexican population is interested in soccer and that the Mexican fan has, on average, been following the sport for 14 years.

Canada arrives with another profile: younger, more linked to international clubs and with a strong relationship with highlights and networks.

The United States appears as the market with the most room for growth. Its fans have been following the sport for less time than those in Mexico, but the pace of expansion is strong. Nearly a quarter of current fans in North America joined in the last five years.

That makes the tournament have three different tones. Mexico brings tradition. Canada, growth. United States, scale and a cultural mix that is difficult to replicate.

The World Cup will also be a city experience

The 2026 World Cup is not going to be limited to stadiums. Nielsen shows that many fans plan to combine matches with tourism, entertainment and activities around the tournament.

Among World Cup fans in the United States, 18% plan to attend live matches, 24% to events or entertainment surrounding the tournament, and 23% to fan zones. Among those who will attend, there is also the intention to tour host cities, tailgate (do the “preview” in the parking lot) and participate in brand activations.

Simply put: cities are not going to just welcome spectators. They are going to receive people who travel, eat, buy, record, share and turn each game into a complete plan.

For Los Angeles, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Seattle, Kansas City, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Boston, the tournament will also be a test of transportation, security, prices, hotels and urban coexistence.

Soccer in the United States already has a past, although it seems new

Today's photo didn't come out of nowhere. American soccer was armed with moments that changed the scale.

The 1994 World Cup opened a huge door. The women's team turned titles and figures into popular culture. David Beckham's arrival in Los Angeles showed that MLS could attract global stars. Messi at Inter Miami ended up pushing football into conversations that it didn't enter before.

And now the World Cup arrives… With another dimension. It is not a player, a final or a summer trend. It's the complete tournament at home, with three host countries and a generation of fans who already know where to watch, what to follow and how to turn each match into content.

The question starts today

The World Cup starts today, but the important question is not answered tonight. The question is what will remain after July 19. If those 62.5 million fans in the United States will continue to grow. Whether MLS can turn momentum into sustained interest. If women's soccer will take advantage of the clean and jerk. Whether the new fans will stay when the ceremonies die down.

For now, the data is clear: the 2026 World Cup begins with North America becoming a much more soccer-loving region than five years ago. And, in the United States, a good part of that force comes from young people, networks, women, families and Hispanics who were already pushing the ball before the initial whistle blew.