It didn't take long for Americans to embrace the face paint. Or the flag-wearing. Or the dancing and marching to the sounds of Brazil's samba or Scotland's bagpipes.
The World Cup is halfway through, and it's shaping up exactly how soccer organizers and longtime fans had hoped: The tournament is one big party.
A party that has stretched across sweaty sports bars and crowded parks. In hole-in-the-wall restaurants and sprawling football stadiums. And in oppressive heat and relentless thunderstorms.
In Boston, over a thousand fans gathered for the city's last fan festival at City Hall Plaza — cheering in unison with every goal scored during England vs. Panama.
" To be honest, I had no expectations. But I didn't know how great it was gonna be," said Jason Jusino, of Medford, Mass. " The city hasn't felt this kind of electricity in so long."
The World Cup began dogged by criticism over sky-high ticket prices and concerns that the U.S. was a problematic host. None of those issues has been resolved. But Americans are showing up anyway for the world's most beloved sport and in record-breaking numbers. It comes as the U.S. heads into its knockout stage match against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday at 8 pm ET.
"Soccer has won," said Bret Myers, who teaches sports analytics at Villanova University's School of Business. " In the sense of, it has kind of drowned out any potential issues or any of the controversies that were bubbling before the tournament."
Breaking down the numbers
One of the most impressive stats so far is from the USMNT's opening game against Paraguay on June 12. An average of about 25 million people tuned in across Fox, Telemundo and their streaming platforms — making it one of the most-watched soccer games ever broadcast in the U.S. That's according to data released by Nielsen, the media analytics company.
To put that into perspective, the USMNT's first group stage game during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, against Wales, drew a total audience of 11.7 million people in the U.S. (Granted, the match took place on a Monday afternoon and not a Friday night, like U.S. vs. Paraguay.)
Viewership has remained high for Team USA — reaching over 22 million in its following games against Australia and Turkey. Those figures rival the averages at the most recent NBA finals and the MLB World Series, though it's still about 100 million viewers shy of a Super Bowl. Meanwhile, the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan averaged 23.5 million viewers in the U.S.
Perhaps more remarkable is that American fans aren't just watching en masse for their home team. Fox reported an average 5 million viewers across 72 matches during the group stage, setting a new record for the network, despite concerns that the World Cup's new expanded format would feel bloated and drawn out. Telemundo saw an average of 4.6 million viewers.
By another benchmark, Mike Mulvihill, the president of insights and analytics for Fox Sports, said on X that the average Fox viewer has already consumed more games through last Tuesday than they did during the entire 2022 World Cup.
By FIFA's own measure, the World Cup has also been a success so far. About 4.6 million fans attended the group stage matches, filling 99.7% of available seats, according to FIFA. It has already marked a new record for highest attendance, which was previously held by the 1994 tournament in the U.S. Meanwhile, fan festivals across the U.S., Mexico and Canada have attracted 5.5 million attendees.
A World Cup stirring joy, excitement and most importantly, hope
In many ways, the strong turnout for the World Cup isn't all that surprising. Over the years, Major League Soccer has grown in attendance, viewership and number of teams. Meanwhile, both the Premier League and Liga MX have continued to build a loyal following in the U.S.
The nation's soccer fan base is younger and more diverse than audiences for other major leagues, with the Hispanic community at the heart of fandom, according to Nielsen.
Then, there's the USMNT's stunning run so far — rekindling hope and excitement for fans at home after years of finishing middle of the pack on the global stage.
"It helped tremendously that they won that first game," said Myers from Villanova University. "It maintains that excitement level."
Now all eyes are on the USMNT and if it can pull off its first World Cup knockout win since 2002. Myers believes that regardless of how Team USA fares, Americans will continue to follow the tournament in record numbers.
Back in Boston, Eddy Balcarcel from Attleboro, Mass., has attended several watch parties and two games at Gillette Stadium, known as Boston Stadium during the World Cup. He said the tournament has exceeded his expectations, partly eclipsing his disdain for the high ticket prices.
"Every year I get more excited about soccer and hope that it gets better here in this country," he said.
Jusino, from Medford, has been following the World Cup ever since it came to the U.S. in 1994. The way he feels about the nation's growing soccer fandom is the same as he feels about the USMNT.
" It's just nice to look at them and be like, 'Oh yeah, this is what America's about,'" he said. "You know, growing and persevering."
GBH's Sam Turken contributed reporting.
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