Why is soccer not so popular in the United States and what are the most practiced sports? (2024)

The US has kicked off its campaign in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar with a 1-1 draw against Wales. The national team however, could use a little more popular support.

Soccer has grown in the United States in recent years, but it still has not experienced the boom that has been seen in other sports such as football, basketball, and baseball, whose leagues are the most important in the world.

According to some US media outlets, one of the main reasons why soccer is not the most popular sport in the country is because Americans like to see sports in which there is a lot of contact. Proof of this is that the NFL is number one in the US. Hockey is also ranked higher than soccer, while mixed martial arts has seen the fastest growth in recent years.

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But this is not the only factor that influences the popularity of soccer in the United States. Some of the most important are: the performances that the country has had in important events (in other words, they are not number one), as well as limitations in television rights. These are all in addition to the fact that the US professional league was not born until 1996.

The ratings

The 2018 FIFA World Cup had an average of 5.04 million viewers on Fox Sports and Telemundo, 37% less than in 2014 (8.06 million) and 11% less than in 2010 (5.65 million), both broadcast on ESPN and Univision. All figures are for the match portion only (i.e. excluding pre-match coverage).

It is expected that in Qatar 2022, these figures will double, since there is a lot of hope for the US national team which features many footballers who are active in European leagues.

It should be noted that Russia 2018 was the first World Cup where the United States did not participate since 1986; and now, although they are not the main favorites to be the champions in Qatar, the US team is filled with young players who are thirsting for victory.