After hosting the tournament in 1994, the United States will again co-host the FIFA World Cup in 2026 alongside Canada and Mexico, at a time when soccer is still fighting for mainstream recognition in the U.S., where the NFL remains the dominant sports force. Former USWNT stars Megan Rapinoe and Ali Krieger have both spoken about the global significance of the World Cup and the cultural weight of the game.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
“It’s hard to really express to Americans who don’t know soccer culture, football culture, But who knows, like NFL culture or American sports culture, that whatever you think is big is like not even close to what the world thinks,” Megan Rapinoe said on her A Touch More: The Beautiful Game podcast on July 2nd.
Rapinoe, who has been a pioneer of football in the US, understands the depth of hosting the World Cup. Soccer is something that is not as celebrated as their version of football, which is college football and the NFL. The women’s team of the state has been representing the US in the World Cups and Olympics in football, and even after getting crowned champions, they did not get the recognition that the Super Bowl does.
The viewership of the Super Bowl in 2024 was 123.4 million viewers. Whereas the 2022 FIFA Finals recorded 1.5 billion viewers tuned in globally, which was 12 times the number of viewers of the Super Bowl.
American sports culture is heavily dependent on the entertainment aspect; of course, the feeling of supporting your team in the NFL is similar to watching clubs play. But it is “stadium experience,” commercials, and half-time shows that attract the most audience. As for football culture, it lies deep in fan-driven ultras, shouting, and even synchronizing the team’s name chants for 90 minutes.
“I think that’s the magic of the World Cup, which is what I was so excited about in that moment,” Krieger said. “This is so cool.” Now, basically, we’re showing our culture and the Americans how important this game is, how beautiful this game is, and why we love to play and why we’re so passionate about it. And it’s just, I don’t know, it’s going to change a lot of the perspectives of Americans.”
Krieger believes that when Americans see the fans coming from all across the globe to watch the match and passionately singing, waving flags, and weeping over group-stage matches, it translates to high stakes. Without any advertisements, after every 2 minutes, they can experience something different while watching FIFA. Hosting the World Cup serves as a massive catalyst for the US Women’s National Team.
It helps speed up the growth of their team. As for the revenue collected by the men’s team, the money collected also goes to the funds for the USWT. The World Cup acts as a gateway drug for sports fans. Millions of casual American viewers who tune in to watch the global spectacle are going to turn into new football fanatics, and will turn to women’s football to keep the feeling alive.
