The United States has taken center stage in the global soccer landscape thanks to its exponential growth in recent years. After hosting the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 as a trial run, the real challenge lies ahead as the country prepares to co-host the 2026 FIFA World Cup alongside Canada and Mexico.

The 2026 tournament will be the first World Cup to feature 48 teams, spread across three countries and 104 matches. The U.S. will serve as the primary host, staging games in over 10 cities, with the final expected to take place at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

To assess the sport’s growth in the U.S., World Soccer Talk spoke with Brett Johnson, CEO of Benevolent Capital and co-owner of Ipswich Town FC, Phoenix Rising FC, and Rhode Island FC. He shared his insights on the recent surge in popularity and what’s to come.

The Club World Cup: A unique competition

With the debut of a revamped Club World Cup, the United States had the opportunity to stage a global club tournament of unprecedented scale. Though the competition is now in the books, it laid the foundation for what promises to be a landmark World Cup in 2026.

“I love to see what’s going on in the United States. I think it’s a great warm up to World Cup here next summer. I enjoyed watching the Gold Cup and seeing, you know, seeing, you know, the US and Mexico, that was an exciting finals.

“I look the Club World Cup, and there have been pockets of incredible support in the stadiums. There have been some games that have been tougher to get a good crowd for, but that’s not surprising. But in general, if you’re asking me about Americans and what I’ll call increasingly their love and passion for the beautiful game, it’s growing. It’s real. It’s going to go. It’s going to go to a whole nother level next year with the World Cup.”

While soccer has long trailed the NFL, NBA, and NHL in terms of popularity, its momentum in the U.S. is undeniable. International leagues are increasingly visible, and fans are developing deeper habits around the sport.

“When I travel—which is a lot—increasingly, if you’re in an airport, you’re walking through a bar or a restaurant and the televisions, five years ago, you would rarely see football on the screen. You’d see American football, but you’d very rarely see soccer.”

“Now, you will almost never see a scenario where you’re not going to have at least on some of the sets a Premier League game, or some some game of note on the screen there and that’s clearly. That’s a sign relative to the fact that those that are in those restaurants, that are in those bars, they’re consuming that product. So it’s growing. There’s no doubt in my mind.

The Messi effect and a path to 2026

Lionel Messi’s 2023 move to Inter Miami sent shockwaves through American soccer. Beyond increased TV ratings and sponsorships, his presence has created a perfect lead-in to the 2026 World Cup.

“I think the impact has been incredible. That goes without saying. I mean, look at Miami’s become one of the biggest clubs in the world relative to social media in terms of valuation, etcetera. I do think at some point obviously he’ll retire and I’m not sure if that the majority of those what I’ll call fickle fans stick around.

“But next summer, the World Cup’s coming back here. The last time obviously was 1994. 1994 had a big, big impact influence. It’ll be a whole nother level now and be better. And a lot of young American kids who play a lot of sports, a lot of them are going to see this game and and they’re going to take even more interest in thinking about becoming professional players.

“There’s so many different positive benefits that come about from what I know will be the enthusiasm next summer in terms of how well North America is going to host these games.”

USL’s evolution and the bold move toward Promotion and Relegation

In 2025, U.S. soccer took a historic step as the United Soccer League (USL) announced plans to implement promotion and relegation—a system virtually unheard of in American sports. This, combined with surging investor interest, is transforming the USL into one of the most exciting growth markets in world soccer.

“USL has announced their intent to create a Division One sanctioned league. They’ve announced their intent to adopt promotion and relegation. And so increasingly… it’s great news. I mean, it’s what makes the game so much fun and it’s why I think so many people tune into the Premier League and championship in England and other foreign leagues is because every single game matters. You’re either fighting for promotion or you’re fighting to avoid relegation, and there’s nothing like that construct in American sports. So I’m very proud that USL is doing it. I was a big advocate that they adopted it.”

Johnson also explained why foreign investors are increasingly looking at the USL—not MLS—for opportunities: “There are a lot of deep pocketed foreign clubs that are looking at the United States market and respectfully you can invest in a USL team and stadium like we have at a much different valuation than Major League Soccer.

“A lot of the teams, Miami, LAFC, God bless they they all have billion dollar valuations associated with them. You can do a lot with that kind of valuation. And so long way of my saying that I’m thrilled with the amount of interest that I’m seeing not only in Rhode Island but I’m also seeing across USL because I think so many people want to be invested in the biggest market, the United States, one of the markets with the greatest potential.

“Demographically we have so many kids that play the sport. I couldn’t be more bullish in terms of and it’s one of many reasons why 10 years ago, I initially started with the Phoenix Rising franchise. I spent five years in England. I spent time traveling all over the world. I saw the religion by which everyone reveres the other football, meaning soccer. And I had a thesis that over time the United States would catch up in terms of passion and capability on and off the pitch.”

Club World Cup takeaways and what’s coming in 2026

Aside from the landmark 1994 World Cup, the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup marked the U.S.’s first time hosting a major FIFA tournament. With new elements tested this summer, many are expected to carry over into 2026. Johnson believes the World Cup will eclipse anything seen before.

“I think the tournament (Club World Cup), from my vantage point, has looked very successful. What I guarantee is next year the World Cup will break every single record in the history of the World Cup. I have no doubt.

“I mean for a lot of reasons, not the least of which it’s 48 teams, three countries, the economic impact, the number of viewers both in person and through television, it’ll blow everything away. The future’s bright with it and and increasingly I’m very excited to see the ability for my team and my league, USL, because I do believe it’s going to start to develop some of the best young talent.”