Saturday Scroll: Fandom is for everyone

Some of the most up-to-date numbers on soccer’s evolving fanbase are from a YouGov report crafted this May, based on the market research company’s quarterly survey.

Here’s what YouGov gathered this spring:

⏰ The game has grown since 2022. The share of Americans actively following footy rose from 8% to 12%, and jumped from 13% in 2022 to 22% in 2026 among those aged 18 to 34 (the youngest group surveyed). And even more Americans will follow the tourney this time around: 14.4% plan to give up time for it, compared to 7.6% in 2022. Get ready for the great World Cup sick-out.

⚽ It really is a young person’s game. People aged 18 to 34 comprise 56% of the sport’s avid watchers, while those aged 35 to 54 make up another 30%. It’s one of two sports — alongside basketball — that’s more popular among young people than the general population.

🚺 While the fanbase definitely skews male, a third of soccer followers are women. This is consistent with what the Harris Poll found last July, but Harris Poll also noted that women footy fans are particularly passionate: 32% of women fans self-identify as either “obsessed” or “dedicated” fans, and 42% consider soccer an important part of their lives.

Soccer isn’t just gaining ground among young people and women. Other key communities are falling in love with the game and joining soccer celebrations this summer, including over 29M multicultural U.S. fans.

👋 Per For Soccer’s 2024 annual fan survey, fans who started following soccer within the previous five years were 10% less likely to be white, 25% more likely to be Black, and 37% more likely to be women.

• Its 2025 report showed that among women soccer fans, 32% were Hispanic or Latino and 20% were Black or African American. More women fans were between the ages of 16 and 24 (24%) compared to male fans in that bracket (14%).

🚀 The aforementioned 2024 report found 80% of teen Hispanic players were male, yet participation among young Hispanic women shot up 82% YoY (and 185% since 2021). Young Hispanic fans also fielded international fandoms: England’s Premier League was the fan favorite, with La Liga and Liga MX also being popular. Among those surveyed teens, 66% cheered on Mexico’s national team.

📈 In 2025, Black Star — For Soccer’s media and events brand that centers Black soccer culture — found 27% of new soccer fans were Black. They referenced YouGov data that found 56% of Black fans were between the ages of 18 and 34, with 24% aged 18 to 24 — both significantly higher than national averages at the time.

• Additionally, For Soccer previously reported 65% of Black U.S. fans became more connected to the game after seeing Black players flourish — something we’ve also seen happen globally.

YouGov points out that this larger, younger, more female, more racially diverse, and very online fanbase creates “a different commercial backdrop for 2026,” especially given the added bonus of hosting on home turf — and soccer fans’ keen eye for friendly brands.

• YouGov shows that almost 40% of U.S. World Cup followers “actively notice tournament sponsors,” and 21% say “sponsorship has influenced them to purchase or try a brand for the first time.” That’s why knowing this evolving fanbase matters.

• So, where does this leave brands this summer? At the very least, companies should understand the face of soccer fandom is quickly changing.

While we’re not surprised to see multinational conglomerates pouring money into major global campaigns, today’s fandom does influence execution. Take Lay’s, which is explicitly welcoming “bandwagon” fans and added Mallory Swanson — the USWNT’s juggernaut forward, who is biracial — to its roster in 2024 to promote this year’s men’s World Cup and next year’s women’s tourney.

• There’s also a very prominent (and expensive) push to reach Hispanic fans. In the lead-up to the World Cup, Diageo — which owns several major spirits brands — officially teamed with FIFA in 2025, unveiling its World Cup campaign focused on Hispanic fans this April via its Buchanan’s whiskey brand.

• Buchanan’s is going all out: There’s on-site activations, a limited-edition bottle collection, a signature tournament cocktail, and it tapped Latin artist Rauw Alejandro to make a song for the tourney like it’s 2010. Mexican beer brand Modelo is also all in, making its biggest soccer investment to date this summer.

Experts also recommend the value of creator-driven World Cup campaigns: They’re easy to curate and, more importantly, effective. Whether it’s acknowledging soccer’s changing fanbase in campaigns or letting community members speak on a brand’s behalf, there are multiple ways to reach diverse soccer fans this summer. It’s a pitch where everyone wins.