"People who don't even watch soccer are tuning in." That line, from a fan outside SoFi Stadium on Friday night, says more about where American football culture stands right now than any viewership figure could.
For the first time in 32 years, the FIFA World Cup returned to US soil. Inglewood, California hosted USA vs Paraguay — and unlike 1994, when the tournament was largely treated as an inconvenience sandwiched between baseball and basketball, this felt like the moment the country had been building toward for three decades.
A sellout crowd and a city that showed up
70,492 fans packed SoFi Stadium. That matters, because the lead-up to ticket sales was a mess — Category 1 seats were listed at $2,735 at launch, with Category 3 going for $1,120. Prices eventually dropped closer to the tournament, with Category 1 falling below $1,150 by matchday. One New York fan, Alex, paid $3,200 for two nosebleed tickets early, then upgraded to premium seats for just $3,500 total as the market softened. He called it a haircut he'd take again without hesitation.
Paraguay were back at a World Cup for the first time since 2010 — 16 years out. Their supporters came from Asunción, from the 25,000-strong diaspora across the US, from Las Vegas Copa América trips in 2024. "Returning to the World Cup is practically a national cause," said Alexis, who made the journey from the Paraguayan capital. When both sets of fans happen to wear red and white, the stadium doesn't split cleanly. It just pulses.
Football is climbing the American sports ladder
Soccer now sits third in the US sports popularity rankings, behind American football and basketball. That's not a revolution — but it's real, sustained movement. The tournament is being marketed in grocery stores, department stores, on street corners. Even with the NBA Finals, Stanley Cup Finals, and MLB season all running simultaneously, the World Cup is the conversation.
"Growing up playing soccer, and then seeing where things are now, it's an absolutely different landscape altogether," said Jason from Atlanta. He's not wrong. The MLS has expanded aggressively, European club football commands cable deals and prime-time slots, and the national team finally has a generation of players that Americans know by name.
What that means for the betting markets is straightforward: USMNT home advantage at this tournament is real. The atmosphere, the crowd investment, the cultural momentum — it's not manufactured. Teams visiting the US in the knockout rounds will face something they haven't encountered before in this country.
Christian from Riverside, CA, showed up in a USMNT jersey under eagle-print overalls. He said Paraguay fans were asking for photos. "It's just love," he said. "Everyone is loving their team, but at the same time, everyone is uniting."
Football has been waiting a long time for America. America, it seems, was just waiting for the right moment to care back.
