2026 FIFA World Cup: Americans Want to Watch but NOT Host

1 of 3 Americans and 4 of 5 soccer fans will watch the 2026 FIFA World Cup
Half of all 18- to 34-year-olds will also watch
Among soccer fans – 17-point drop in interest of U.S. as host in a year
World Cup ticket interest drops by 10 points among soccer fans in 6 months
1 of 5 soccer fans feel USMNT will reach the Round of 16

In one week, the 2026 FIFA World Cup will kick off, and Americans show high interest in watching the matches. The latest Seton Hall Sports Poll shows 33 percent of Americans, 81 percent of soccer fans, 51 percent of sports fans, and 67 percent of avid fans will watch and/or follow the matches starting June 11^th. Young fans continue to drive soccer fandom in the U.S. with 50 percent of all 18- to 34-year-olds also planning to watch and/or follow.

In comparison to the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the “will watch and/or follow” numbers are up 4 points among Americans, 4 points among soccer fans, 8 points among sports fans, and 7 points among avid fans.

“There’s no other way to say it – the World Cup is the world’s biggest sporting event,” said Daniel Ladik, Ph.D., Methodologist of the Seton Hall Sports Poll and Associate Marketing Professor at the Stillman School of Business. “The Summer Olympics may have more countries and athletes, but when it comes to total viewership and total revenue, the World Cup is in a category all by itself. Note, the actual 2026 World Cup interest among Americans may be even stronger than we can report. The 2022 World Cup poll was collected just two weeks before the start of the games while our 2026 numbers were collected eight weeks before the start.”

These results are derived from a Seton Hall Sports Poll conducted April 2^nd through 9^th among 1,601 U.S. adults. The Poll, which is sponsored by The Sharkey Institute within Seton Hall University’s Stillman School of Business, features a nationally representative sample from YouGov Plc., weighted on U.S. Census Bureau figures for age, gender, ethnicity, education, income and geography with a margin of error of +/- 3.0 percent.

Less Interest in Being the Host of the 2026 FIFA World Cup?

The Seton Hall Sports Poll has been tracking World Cup sentiment for more than a year and one of the most revealing findings is a drop in interest in being the host of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Between April 2025 and April 2026, all subgroups tracked illustrates a drop in interest of being the World Cup host including 11 points among Americans, 17 points among soccer fans, 12 points among sports fans, and 5 points among avid fans.

The 2026 Men’s FIFA World Cup will be held in the U.S. The U.S. last hosted the Men’s World Cup in 1994. Does the World Cup being hosted in the U.S. make you more interested in watching 2026 World Cup games?

“The closer this FIFA World Cup gets, the worse it looks to American fans. Even the most avid World Cup fan is separating their support for their favorite national team from the unusually high costs and difficult logistics related to getting to some of the venues,” said Professor Ladik. “It is clear that FIFA views the three-nation North American World Cup as a rare opportunity to maximize revenue generation for its programs. One wonders whether their strategy in implementing the process matches any of the 48 contestant teams’ preparation for the World Cup itself.”

Ticket Interest Drops by 10 Points Among Soccer Fans

In April 2026, the Poll asked Americans if they tried to buy tickets to any match with ten percent reporting they did. In October 2025, the Poll asked Americans if they plan to buy tickets with 14 percent reporting so.

The four-point drop among Americans is even more prominent among subgroups. Soccer fans fell from 40 percent to 30 percent, sports fans fell from 21 percent to 16 percent, and avid sports fans fell from 33 percent to 25 percent during the same time period.

“Across three lotteries and a general sale, FIFA has made buying tickets to the World Cup incredibly difficult,” said Professor Ladik. “Beyond the complexity of purchasing tickets, there are many group stage tickets priced at Super Bowl levels—something most Americans cannot afford.”

How Far Will the USMNT Go?

There is not a bigger question on the minds of U.S. soccer fans than how far the U.S. Men’s National Team (USMNT) will advance in the tournament. More fans believe the USMNT will reach the Round of 16 (20%) than any other round. Very few fans believe the USMNT will either win the World Cup (8%) or get bounced out in the group stage (6%). Some more optimistic fans believe the Quarter-finals are within reach for the home team (18%) while less optimistic fans have the team finishing in the Round of 32 (13%).

April 2026 Seton Hall Sports Poll Results

Daniel Ladik, Ph.D., Methodologist – daniel.ladik@shu.edu

This Poll was conducted April 2^nd through April 9^th and includes responses from 1,601 U.S. adults with a margin of error of +/- 3.0%. The sample mirrors the U.S. Census percentages on age, gender, income, education, ethnicity, and region.

Q1. Which of the following statements best describes you?

*Note: Presented in each table, Avid + Casual = total sports fandom in the data. Some tables break out the Avid and Casual segments.

How interested, if at all, are you in each of the following? For each row, please select your level of interest.

Q2a. Soccer (i.e., any professional leagues in the U.S. or around the world, as well as international competitions)

Q5. How far do you think the U.S. Men’s National Team (USMNT) will advance in the 2026 FIFA World Cup?

The 2026 Men’s FIFA World Cup Tournament will begin on Thursday June 11^th

Q6b. The FIFA World Cup is the world’s largest international soccer tournament, with only 48 of 211 FIFA member nations qualifying. Do you plan on watching/following the 2026 Men’s FIFA World Cup?

By watch/follow, we mean that you will do any of the following:

– actively read about the tournament

– watch live broadcasts or highlights of matches online or on TV

– attend matches in person.

Q6a. The World Cup is the biggest international soccer tournament, and only 32 nations from around the world qualify. Do you plan on watching/following the 2022 World Cup?

By watch/follow, we mean that you will either:

– actively read about the tournament

– AND/OR watch live broadcasts or highlights of matches online or TV

– AND/OR attend matches in person. [November 2022]

Q6c. The U.S. last hosted the FIFA Men’s World Cup in 1994. Does the U.S. co-hosting the FIFA World Cup make you more interested in watching the 2026 FIFA World Cup games?

Q12a. The last time U.S. hosted the FIFA Men’s World Cup was in 1994. Does the FIFA World Cup being co-hosted in the U.S. make you more interested in watching the 2026 FIFA World Cup games? [October 2025]

Q8. The 2026 Men’s FIFA World Cup will be held in the U.S. The U.S. last hosted the Men’s World Cup in 1994. Does the World Cup being hosted in the U.S. make you more interested in watching 2026 World Cup games? [April 2025]