What do New Yorkers think about the 2026 World Cup?

Having recently returned from a weeks-long trip in New York City, and having had the pleasure of watching the New York Red Bulls scrape a last minute 2-2 draw to Columbus Crew at the Red Bull Arena thanks to two late goals from Emil Forsberg, I take a look back about my task: talk to “soccer” fans throughout the city to gauge their interest in the upcoming 2026 Fifa World Cup that is to be played across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Let me explain here that, since I watched the New York Red Bulls, the MLS playoffs have been in full swing. Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami have been knocked out following a 3-2 loss at the hands of Atalanta United following their Quarter Final wins. The New York Red Bulls continued their tour de force by claiming a 1-0 victory over Orlando City whilst on the Western side of the United States, the LA Galaxy have successfully negotiated their way to the final following strong performances against Minnesota and Seattle Sounders FC. 

With the Final approaching, arguably the two most well-known clubs outside of the United States will face off. Should the New York Red Bulls win, there is a slight chance that their victory could inject some much-need enthusiasm in the beautiful game as the 2026 World Cup edges ever closer to reaching the shores of North America, Canada and Mexico. Now, rather unsurprisingly given the nature of American sport, “soccer” fails to rank highly on the list of priorities. With the great triumvirate of NFL, MLB and NBA monopolising the vast majority of broadcasting time and people’s sporting emotions, the slight apathy I experienced amongst Americans towards football was to be expected.

That said, with former Chelsea coach Mauricio Pochettino at the helm of the US Men's National Team, and continuing the Chelsea connection with Emma Hayes at the helm of the US Women's National Team, one could speculate that there has been some significant effort, and investment, put into improving the fortunes of the United States as a footballing force - albeit it really is only the men’s team that needs the help given the USWNT are arguably the greatest international women’s side ever alongside Brazil. Add to that the fact that, for New York Red Bulls fans specifically, you’d have forgiven me for expecting a little more of a buzz around the club given that Jurgen Klopp has, to mixed opinion, joined the Red Bull Corporation as Head of Global Soccer. 

As evidence of the general malaise, combined with a minor undercurrent of excitement, of the New Yorker attitude towards the World Cup coming to their city, I spoke with a number of the city’s inhabitants who explained that: “As Americans, we tend to prioritise other sports ahead of soccer which many of us still view as a non-American game. That said, where better in the world to host a sporting event than New York, right? I imagine the city will somewhat rise to the occasion of the tournament, and of course we want the men's team to do well, but given how solid the competition is and how far away the squad feels from actually winning the title, it is hard to be fully invested” told us Mike, 47. “As a person of Latin heritage, with family from Colombia, soccer is in my blood. As an honorary New Yorker, I am pleased to see the World Cup coming to our city - amongst many others across North America and Mexico - but as someone who takes pride in their heritage, I will be supporting the country of my family. I am as excited for a World Cup as I always am, but I think that Americans more generally still have a long way to go before they buy into the game as much as they do with their own national sports. I would be happy to see the USMNT do well, as long as they don’t outplay Colombia!” says Valentina, 33. 

“The USMNT is certainly in a better place than it has been historically. I think they are learning from the way in which the Women’s team has garnered so much success over the years in terms of investment and encouraging people to play the game at a younger age. I myself have been interested in football for close to a decade having followed Clint Dempsey over to the Premier League - I haven’t stopped watching since". I followed this comment by asking why they, in this case Jason, 28, opts to watch European football rather than following a domestic side: “I do follow the New York Red Bulls a bit, but the quality of the other leagues, specifically the Premier League for me is so high it is worth watching if you want to get into watching soccer. I also think, and don’t laugh, but having played FIFA, and now EAFC video games since I was a child, I align more with European players as they tend to be the strongest in the game, or at least, players who play in European leagues. Am I excited for the FIFA World Cup to be coming to New York? Of course, I will try my best to get tickets, but I don’t think traditional New Yorkers will care all that much, it will likely be the people who travel here for the matches that bring the vibes”. 

The points that Jason made here were common amongst a number of people I spoke to both outside of the Red Bull Arena, and across the city. Fans seem to follow their domestic team as it is oftentimes affordable to get tickets and they love the game, but often keep a close eye on the top teams predominantly in England and Spain. Given the diversity of the US population, it seems clear that there will naturally be some interest in the World Cup being played in the United States, but that positive energy seemed more to stem from supporting the nation of their family heritage rather than being excited for the city or for the American game. The Sporting Business Journal highlighted evidence that supports what Jason was discussing, noting that: Not only are U.S. football fans younger, but they’re also more culturally diverse, with 40% being fans of colour, per Morning Consult. MLS reports approximately 30% of its fans are Hispanic or Latino. Additionally, the report goes on to discuss that: A 2020 study by Equation Research identified 60 million fans of the Mexican National Team in the U.S., making El Tri the most popular national team in the country. 

Clearly, the game is growing and interest is picking up. The interest in the game is seemingly driven predominantly by vibrant immigrant communities throughout the country, and based on the small pool of conversations I had over my week there, I would suggest that my anecdotal data points to that conclusion too. The City itself seems poised to make a real event of the World Cup in a rather typically American way with the introduction of a half-time show during the Final being the standout addition to the tournament. Will Americans themselves buy into the sporting event? I believe so. Will it lead to a huge increase in the sport throughout the country? I still have my doubts.