In the summer of 1990, soccer grabbed the attention of Americans when, for the first time in 40 years, the United States qualified for the World Cup.
While the U.S. didn’t escape the first round that summer in Italy, soccer’s popularity stateside began a steady increase that has lasted decades.
The game’s popularity was boosted four years later when the United States hosted the tournament, and a cast of characters — including John Harkes, Alexi Lalas, Marcelo Balboa, Tony Meola, Cobi Jones and Eric Wynalda — led the team to the round of 16 before losing to eventual champions Brazil. Within two years, Major League Soccer, a professional league, was launched and has continued to grow and improve its standing among domestic soccer leagues.
The biggest sporting event in the world returns to America’s golden shores this summer, and its potential impact on the game could be exponential. The ’94 FIFA World Cup set total and average attendance records that still stand but are expected to be broken this summer.
The 2026 World Cup — the 23rd quadrennial international men’s soccer championship contested by the national teams of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), or International Federation of Association Football — kicks off June 11 and will run for 39 days until July 19.
This year’s tournament will be bigger than ever before. For the first time, the tournament will be played across three nations, with 11 cities in the United States, three in Mexico, and two in Canada hosting games. American host cities include Atlanta, Boston, Houston, Dallas, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Seattle. The tournament has also expanded from 32 to 48 teams, and the total number of matches played will rise from 64 to 104.
The World Trade Organization has estimated that the tournament is projected to create more than $40 billion in global GDP, with an estimated $80.1 billion in gross output across Canada, Mexico and the U.S., including $30.5 billion within the U.S. alone.
This year, there will be 12 groups of four teams, with the top two teams in each group and the eight best third-placed teams progressing to a new knockout round of 32.
Each team is guaranteed to win $9 million for their national association, with earnings increasing for every round they advance. Those that reach the round of 32 will receive $11 million. Teams in the round of 16 get $15 million. Those that reach the quarterfinals get $19 million. There is a significant increase for the final four. The fourth-place team will get $27 million, third place $29 million. The runners-up will earn $33 million, and the champions will win $50 million.
Favorites include Spain, Argentina, France, England, Brazil and Portugal. Like all major tournaments there will be Cinderellas who achieve glory by besting more established teams. Matchups that feature nations with historic rivalries are especially entertaining. This will likely be the final World Cup for two legends of the game — Argentina’s Lionel Messi and Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo, but young players, including Lamine Yamal (Spain), Florian Wirtz (Germany) and Joao Neves (Portugal), are ready to make their mark.
The United States hasn’t played well coming into the tournament but is expected to reach the knockout rounds. Their group stage games are all on the West Coast, so travel lag shouldn’t be an issue. They have the talent to make a deep run. With the nation celebrating its 250th anniversary, hopefully patriotic pride will propel them to the top.
