Your World Cup Fan Profile

The numbers are striking for a country that's supposed to be playing host. When Emerson College polled registered voters ahead of the tournament's kickoff, nearly half said the World Cup simply isn't on their radar — despite the fact that the U.S. men's team is playing on home soil, despite the fact that matches are happening right here in North America, and despite the fact that this is the biggest World Cup in the tournament's history.

For Cleveland sports fans — a city defined by passion, heartbreak, and hard-earned triumph — the indifference feels especially strange. But there's a generational and cultural story underneath the numbers that goes beyond whether you prefer the pitch to the gridiron.

Hispanic and Latino respondents were three times more likely than white respondents to say they will closely follow the tournament.Emerson College Poll, 2026

That 3-to-1 engagement gap between Hispanic and white Americans isn't just a sports stat — it's a cultural snapshot. Soccer has been the dominant sport in Latin America, Central America, and much of Africa and Southeast Asia for generations. For millions of Americans whose families came from those places, the World Cup isn't just a tournament — it's a homecoming. Cleveland's growing Latino community, centered in neighborhoods like Clark-Fulton and Tremont, is part of that story.

Meanwhile, for many older white Americans, soccer occupies an awkward place in the sports hierarchy — behind football, baseball, and basketball in terms of lifetime fandom and TV habit formation. The 1994 World Cup, also hosted by the U.S., famously struggled to win over mainstream American audiences. Thirty-two years later, the needle has moved — but it hasn't erased the gap.

World Cup Interest: How The Groups Compare

Overall American Interest in the 2026 World Cup

How Much Do You Know About the 2026 World Cup?

Five quick questions. Impress yourself — or learn something new.

How many teams are competing in the 2026 World Cup?

• 32 teams — That was the previous format. 2026 is the first expanded tournament — 48 nations compete, making it the largest World Cup in history.
• 40 teams — Close guess, but the expansion went further. FIFA bumped the field to 48 teams starting with this tournament.
• 48 teams — Correct! The 2026 tournament is the first under the expanded 48-team format, adding 16 more nations than previous editions.
• 64 teams — Not quite — 64 teams would be double the previous format. The expansion settled at 48 nations for 2026.

Which countries are co-hosting the 2026 World Cup with the United States?

• Canada and Mexico — Right! The 2026 World Cup is the first ever to be hosted by three nations — the U.S., Canada, and Mexico — spanning the entire North American continent.
• Canada and Brazil — Brazil has hosted before (2014), but not this time. Canada and Mexico are the co-hosts alongside the United States.
• Mexico and Costa Rica — Costa Rica made a great run in 2022, but they're not a host nation. Canada and Mexico are co-hosting with the U.S.
• The U.S. is the sole host — This is actually a three-country tournament — the U.S., Canada, and Mexico are sharing hosting duties in a first-of-its-kind arrangement.

According to a recent poll, what percentage of Americans said they have NO interest in the 2026 World Cup?

• About 20% — The lack of interest is far more widespread than that. Emerson College found that 45% of registered voters said they have no interest — nearly half the country.
• About 30% — The number is notably higher. The Emerson poll found 45% of Americans expressing zero interest, even with the tournament on U.S. soil.
• About 45% — Exactly right. Nearly half of Americans polled said they have no interest — a striking finding given the U.S. is a co-host nation.
• About 60% — The figure is high, but not quite that high. 45% said no interest, while 55% expressed at least some engagement with the tournament.

Which age group showed the HIGHEST rate of 'very interested' in the 2026 World Cup?

• Ages 18–29 — Young adults are engaged — 33% say very interested — but they're not the top group. Americans aged 30–39 actually lead the poll at 43%.
• Ages 30–39 — Correct! Millennials in their 30s are the most fired-up demographic — 43% say they're very interested, likely reflecting a generation that grew up as soccer gained its U.S. foothold in the 1990s and 2000s.
• Ages 55–69 — This group actually skews toward disinterest — over half say they have no interest. The 30–39 bracket tops the 'very interested' rankings at 43%.
• Ages 70+ — Americans 70 and older are the least interested group — just 10% say very interested, and 60% say no interest at all.

Hispanic and Latino Americans were how many times MORE likely than white Americans to say they'll closely follow the 2026 World Cup?

• About the same — There's actually a dramatic gap. The Emerson poll found Hispanic and Latino respondents were three times more likely than white respondents to say they'll closely follow the tournament.
• Twice as likely — Close — that's the figure for Black Americans vs. white Americans. Hispanic and Latino respondents actually showed an even higher gap: three times as likely.
• Three times as likely — Correct! The Emerson poll found Hispanic and Latino Americans are three times more likely than white Americans to say they'll closely follow the 2026 World Cup — a gap that reflects soccer's deep roots in Latin American culture.
• Five times as likely — The gap is large but not quite that extreme. The poll found Hispanic and Latino respondents were three times more likely than white Americans to say they'd closely follow the tournament.

The 45% no-interest figure is the number that keeps soccer advocates up at night — because it comes at the worst possible time. The U.S. men's national team is in arguably the best position it's been in decades: talented young players, a home crowd, first-round matches against teams they should be able to beat. This is the moment American soccer boosters have been building toward since 1994.

And yet the cultural gap revealed by the Emerson poll suggests that hosting a tournament — even a massive, expanded, neighbor-friendly one — doesn't automatically convert skeptics. What does convert them, historically, is a deep run by the home team. If the U.S. makes a real push into the knockout rounds, expect that 45% to start paying attention fast.

American Soccer Interest: Then vs. Now

1994 World Cup (Last U.S. Host)

• 32 Teams Competing Original format
• MLS didn't exist yet
• Soccer largely foreign concept for most Americans
• No U.S. player had global name recognition

2026 World Cup

• 48 Teams Competing Expanded format
• MLS is a major professional league with 30+ clubs
• Generation of American kids grew up playing youth soccer
• Still, 45% of Americans say they don't care

About the Emerson College Poll

The polling data cited throughout this story comes from an Emerson College survey of registered U.S. voters conducted ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The poll measured interest levels (very interested, somewhat interested, no interest) and broke results down by age group and racial/ethnic background.

Emerson College Polling is a nonpartisan survey research group based at Emerson College in Boston. Their methodology uses a combination of online panels and phone polling. Margin of error varies by subgroup — cross-tabulation results for smaller demographic groups (e.g., Hispanic respondents vs. white respondents within a specific age band) carry higher margins than the overall national figures.

The poll reflects registered voters, not the general public — which may slightly skew results toward older, more civically engaged respondents compared to the population as a whole.

Follow the U.S. at the 2026 World Cup

• Where to Watch: U.S. World Cup matches air on FOX and FS1 in English, and on Telemundo and Universo in Spanish.
• Full Tournament Schedule: The 2026 World Cup runs through July, with the Final scheduled for MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
• Closest Host City to Cleveland: MetLife Stadium (New Jersey) and Gillette Stadium (Boston) are the nearest U.S. host venues to Northeast Ohio.

Sources & References

• Primary source: sports — Justin Boggs
• Emerson College Polling — Survey of registered U.S. voters measuring interest in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, broken down by age group and racial/ethnic background
• FIFA — 2026 World Cup tournament format, host nations, and expanded 48-team structure
• U.S. Soccer Federation — U.S. men's national team tournament schedule and roster information