Sports
US football viewership nears 80 billion minutes ahead of World Cup
Nielsen data shows rising fan interest, strong social engagement and second-screen habits
MUMBAI: Call it a late extra-time surge, the US is finally falling for football, and the numbers are starting to look like a scoreline. American viewers clocked a staggering 79.8 billion minutes watching football in 2025, according to Nielsen, as the sport gains serious ground ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026. Once a niche interest, football is now edging into mainstream attention in a market long dominated by home-grown leagues.
The report, Get Ready with Media Intelligence: 2026 FIFA World Cup Edition, paints a picture of momentum building not just on screens, but across platforms, devices and demographics.
Interest is rising fast. Around 33 per cent of the general US population expects their interest in football to increase over the next 18 months. Among existing fans, that figure jumps to 64 per cent, while 56 per cent say the upcoming World Cup itself will drive their growing enthusiasm.
And it is not just intent, viewership patterns are already shifting. International tournaments are drawing bigger audiences, with Copa América’s average viewership more than doubling in 2024 compared to 2021. In 2025, both the UEFA Women’s Euro and the CONCACAF Gold Cup recorded significant gains, signalling that global football is finding firmer footing in the US.
League preferences are also taking shape. Liga MX leads the pack in viewership, followed by the UEFA Champions League and the Premier League highlighting a clear tilt towards both regional and European competitions.
But if screens tell one story, second screens tell another. Football fans in the US are not just watching, they are multitasking. A striking 79.5 per cent of football fans use social media for sports content, significantly higher than the general population at 61.9 per cent.
Millennials are the most active second-screen users at 86 per cent, narrowly ahead of Gen Z at 83.2 per cent, both outpacing the broader football audience at 79.4 per cent. Beyond scrolling feeds, fans are ordering food, playing games and diving into related content while matches unfold turning live sport into a multi-platform experience.
Audio is also in play. Around 77 per cent of US football fans consume football-related content via radio and podcasts, suggesting that engagement extends well beyond live broadcasts.
For marketers, the takeaway is clear: football in the US is no longer just about the 90 minutes on the pitch. It is an ecosystem spanning social feeds, second screens and streaming moments—growing rapidly as the countdown to 2026 kicks in.
As the World Cup draws closer, the US audience is not just watching the game, it is finally getting into it, one billion minutes at a time.
