Over the past decade, soccer has been growing in the US as leagues across Europe have continued to grow in popularity and even the MLS has started to grow too – some stats suggest that popularity for soccer has recently beat out the NHL and become the fourth most popular sport in the country – as online betting becomes more accessible across the US and users learn how to use Ladbrokes bonus code options to get the most from their wagers too, sports like soccer will only look to continue growing, but can it be the next big US sport?
The 2026 World Cup will look to be a major player here for the future of the sport, being hosted in the US, Canada, and Mexico there will be a period leading up to it particularly after this years world cup that will build hype for the sport, and once the international teams all arrive in country even those who may not be typical soccer fans will no doubt tune in to join the jubilation and celebration that a huge global event like the World Cup brings. But this is only one small part of the recipe, and changes that have already happened are just as influential.
Securing the broadcasting rights for international competition, particularly with the Premier League has helped grow quite a substantial audience within the US and makes up the majority of viewers too as the MLS is still smaller than other sports leagues, and these numbers have grown despite games being broadcast during non-prime time hours too – it helps to have local US players appearing in international competition to give fans a player to root for, but accessibility to broadcasting options also means there’s little to barrier fans from tuning in either.
It’s unlikely that soccer will ever close the gap on the biggest options in the NFL and the NBA as basketball and football remain staples within the country, but there is an opportunity for soccer to continue growing and perhaps outpace Baseball in the future as numbers have been slowing in recent years as soccer grows – this may come down to future success in the MLS and the ability to attract international talent to the league, from growing interest in the European leagues such as the UK Premier League, and coming off the back of the World Cup being host in country too – there’s a great opportunity for soccer to thrive further, and having already beat out the NHL and hockey as a whole, it could just be the beginning too.