For years, American marketers treated soccer fandom like a startup promising profitability “next quarter.” Every four years, executives dusted off their “the world’s game” PowerPoint slides, bought some sponsorship packages and waited for the nation to magically become Brazil.
Now, with the 2026 FIFA World Cup being played in North America in a couple of weeks, CivicScience data suggest the moment may actually be arriving. Or at least enough Americans are interested to justify another round of emotionally manipulative commercials featuring fathers hugging children in replica jerseys.