{"id":35131,"date":"2025-08-14T08:31:43","date_gmt":"2025-08-14T07:31:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/brandfinance.com\/?post_type=press-release&#038;p=35131"},"modified":"2025-08-14T08:31:44","modified_gmt":"2025-08-14T07:31:44","slug":"americas-soccer-moment-brand-finance-research-shows-us-fans-are-driving-rising-momentum-ahead-of-2026-fifa-world-cup","status":"publish","type":"press-release","link":"https:\/\/brandfinance.com\/press-releases\/americas-soccer-moment-brand-finance-research-shows-us-fans-are-driving-rising-momentum-ahead-of-2026-fifa-world-cup","title":{"rendered":"America\u2019s Soccer Moment: Brand Finance research shows US fans are driving rising momentum ahead of 2026 FIFA World Cup"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong><em>New Brand Finance research reveals Inter Miami remains the strongest US soccer brand<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>The FIFA World Cup overtakes MLS as the favorite competition among US soccer fans, according to Brand Finance research<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The FIFA World Cup ranks 2<sup>nd<\/sup> for passionate fans (61%), 3<sup>rd<\/sup> for good reputation (54%), and 3<sup>rd<\/sup> for being highly competitive (59%) among all soccer competitions<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The FIFA Club World Cup saw high awareness (72%) and moderate following (49%) among US respondents<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Inter Miami CF is the strongest US club brand, with a BSI score of 61.2 out of 100<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>English Premier League familiarity now rivals MLS among US soccer fans<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Real Madrid and Barcelona are the two most valuable and strongest football club brands in the world.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>DALLAS, August 14, 2025 \u2013 <\/strong>With the 2026 FIFA World Cup set to take place across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, interest in soccer continues to rise among American audiences, according to a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/brandirectory.com\/reports\/football\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">new report from Brand Finance<\/a>,&nbsp;the world's leading brand valuation consultancy. <strong>The FIFA World Cup is now the most popular competition among US soccer fans<\/strong>, overtaking Major League Soccer (MLS) for the first time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Brand Finance\u2019s research reveals strong perceptions of the <strong>FIFA World Cup<\/strong> among US fans. It ranks <strong>second for passionate fans (61%)<\/strong>, and <strong>third for both having a good reputation (54%)<\/strong> and being <strong>highly competitive (59%)<\/strong>, surpassing many other international soccer competitions in the US market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The <strong>FIFA Club World Cup<\/strong>, hosted in the US earlier this year, served as an early test ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Despite featuring several high-profile matches, including appearances by Inter Miami and leading European clubs, the tournament struggled to generate strong attendance and received criticism for unclear messaging. Brand Finance research, conducted during the lead-up to the FIFA Club World Cup, <strong>found that just 1% of US respondents cited it as their favorite competition.<\/strong> However, <strong>72% reported awareness of the event<\/strong>, and <strong>49% said they followed it<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Among domestic clubs, <strong>Inter Miami CF<\/strong> retains its position as the strongest US soccer brand, achieving a <strong>Brand Strength Index (BSI) score of 61.2 out of 100, <\/strong>up from 57.8 in 2024. The club continues to benefit from global attention following Lionel Messi\u2019s arrival in 2023. According to Brand Finance\u2019s research, <strong>39% of US fans describe Inter Miami as \u201cexciting and entertaining to watch,\u201d<\/strong> and the team also scores highly for having iconic sponsors, innovation, and passionate fans. However, it continues to trail global clubs on heritage, being perceived as well run off the pitch, and overall reputation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Brand Finance data also shows that the <strong>Premier League (England)<\/strong> is now nearly as familiar to US soccer fans as MLS. While MLS retains a slight lead in overall awareness, the Premier League is followed more closely by a higher proportion of engaged fans, highlighting the power of its global brand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Laurence Newell, Managing Director, Brand Finance Americas, commented:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u201cThe momentum behind soccer in the United States is clear, and the next 12 months will be critical for clubs, leagues, and commercial partners to translate that interest into lasting brand value. The decision to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup across three countries presents both a major opportunity and a significant challenge. It marks a milestone in regional cooperation but also raises concerns around logistics and fan experience. With global attention on North America, this tournament will be a key test for the sport\u2019s growth in the region. A strong performance from a North American national team could be transformational. Now is the time for brands to invest in building strength and visibility across the soccer landscape.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Real Madrid and Barcelona are the two most valuable and strongest football club brands in the world<\/strong>. Real Madrid\u2019s brand value rose 14% to EUR1.9 billion, while Barcelona\u2019s increased by 11% to EUR1.7 billion. Both clubs also received AAA+ ratings for brand strength. <strong>Real Madrid and Barcelona account for 74% of the total value of Spain\u2019s top ten football brands<\/strong>, underlining a stark concentration of brand value within LALIGA.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>New Brand Finance research reveals Inter Miami remains the strongest US soccer brand DALLAS, August 14, 2025 \u2013 With the 2026 FIFA World Cup set to take place across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, interest in soccer continues to rise among American audiences, according to a&nbsp;new report from Brand Finance,&nbsp;the world's leading brand valuation [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":4452,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","tags":[56,454,453,29],"class_list":["post-35131","press-release","type-press-release","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-football","tag-mls","tag-soccer","tag-usa"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brandfinance.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press-release\/35131","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brandfinance.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press-release"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brandfinance.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/press-release"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brandfinance.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35131"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/brandfinance.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press-release\/35131\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35187,"href":"https:\/\/brandfinance.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press-release\/35131\/revisions\/35187"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brandfinance.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4452"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brandfinance.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35131"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brandfinance.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35131"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}