The number of Americans who call themselves football fans has jumped 13% in twelve months, from 66.8 million last July to 75.2 million this July, according to Nielsen Fan Insights data released this week. The five-year curve is sharper: 27% growth and 16 million new fans since 2022.

“The FIFA World Cup 2026 has served as a powerful catalyst for soccer’s explosive growth across North America,” Seth Ladetsky, Nielsen’s global head of sports, said in a statement.

Major League Soccer tracked the same trajectory, with MLS fandom growing 28% over the five-year window and adding 11.7 million followers. After the league returned from its World Cup break, 10 regular-season matches on FOX and FS1 posted ratings gains of 55% among men aged 18 to 34 and 29% among adults aged 18 to 34, compared with pre-tournament audiences. Front Office Sports described those demos as “two of the most coveted demographics among advertisers.”

LaLiga’s US audience jumps 42% in a year

The lift did not stop at domestic competition. Premier League audiences on NBC and USA Network, including Spanish-language coverage, climbed 30% among adults aged 18 to 34. LaLiga did more: a 42% year-over-year rise across ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes, pushed by a 60% jump among persons aged 18 to 34.

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The World Cup itself provided the launch pad. Spain’s title match against Argentina on 19 July averaged 66.4 million US viewers, with FOX’s tournament average up 116% on 2022 and Telemundo’s Spanish-language coverage up 143%.

A $10bn gap behind Garber’s “Big 5” claim

MLS commissioner Don Garber used a Front Office Sports summit on Tuesday to argue the league now belongs alongside the NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL in a “Big 5” conversation.

“When all of you [media] would say the big four, we say, ‘Well, there is a big five,’” Garber told the summit.

The commercial gap is still wide. Front Office Sports put the NFL’s annual media revenue at $10bn, the NBA at $6.8bn, MLB at $2.1bn and the NHL at $625m. MLS runs on a seven-year Apple TV deal worth up to $275m a year, locked in through the 2028-29 season.

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Garber will not negotiate the next cycle. He steps down as commissioner at the end of this year, with Los Angeles FC co-owner Larry Berg taking over.

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