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The excitement surrounding the FIFA World Cup is helping deepen football’s appeal in the United States, with experts saying the global tournament could inspire a new generation of players and lifelong fans.
At a World Cup-themed event for toddlers at a library in suburban Kansas City, 17-month-old Jude Cornell enthusiastically chased soccer balls and explored training equipment while his mother, Kyra Cornell, joked about imagining his future in the sport.
Held about 20 miles (32 kilometers) from one of the stadiums hosting World Cup matches, the event reflected growing enthusiasm for football across the country.
Football is already among the most popular youth sports in the United States. According to the Aspen Institute, 7.5% of children aged 6 to 12 participated in organized soccer in 2024. Although that figure is slightly lower than a decade ago, only baseball and basketball attracted more young participants.
Experts say youth participation has long been one of the strongest drivers of building loyal fan communities.
Eighteen-year-old Haley Garbowski, who recently won a state high school championship in Missouri, is one example of that pathway. A regular attendee at professional women’s soccer matches, she now coaches younger children at a summer sports camp and plans to study business and sports marketing at San Diego State University.
Her story also illustrates how football fandom often grows within families. While her grandparents never followed the sport, her mother gradually became a fan after watching her daughter play.
Michael Lewis, a sports marketing professor at Emory University, said football’s rise in the United States has been gradual but consistent.
“Soccer is a generational story that’s building generation after generation, but it takes a long, long time,” he said.
Although football still trails baseball, basketball and American football in overall popularity, researchers see growing interest among younger Americans, particularly Millennials and Generation Z.
The sport’s expansion accelerated in the 1970s when international stars such as Pelé played in the now-defunct North American Soccer League. Momentum strengthened further after the United States hosted the FIFA World Cup in 1994 and launched Major League Soccer (MLS) two years later.
Today’s youth football structure is also far more developed than in previous decades, with competitive academies, travel teams and MLS development pathways helping produce stronger talent.
Experts say the success of women’s football has also played a major role in widening the sport’s reach. Increasing participation by girls has helped sustain overall youth involvement while creating a broader and more engaged fan base.
Nicholas Watanabe, a professor at the University of South Carolina, said the sustained success of women’s soccer has also strengthened interest in the men’s game.
Kansas City offers another example of football’s growth. Its professional women’s team, the Kansas City Current, plays in the first stadium built specifically for a women’s professional soccer club and has taken part in local World Cup community events.
Despite the progress, analysts say football still faces challenges in competing with America’s traditional sporting giants. Many of the world’s top players compete in Europe, and a large number of American fans continue to follow European clubs rather than MLS teams.
Even so, experts believe the sport is in its strongest position yet in the United States.
Darin White, executive director of the Center for Sports Analytics at Samford University, said he is more optimistic than ever about football’s future, citing rising interest among younger audiences and increasing attention from marketers.
Back at the Kansas library, toddlers continued kicking footballs while one child proudly repeated the name “Messi,” referring to Argentine star Lionel Messi.
As for Jude Cornell, his mother said she hopes to enrol him in a local football programme once he is old enough.
“You don’t know,” she said with a smile. “Maybe next spring or summer we start trying.”
