Following a successful World Cup in North America, American interest in soccer remains near peak levels heading into the fall.
With the major international leagues all kicking off their seasons this month, we dig deeper into American soccer fans’ favorite men’s clubs. In Sports Poll™, fans can name any domestic or international club as their favorite. The rollup of favorite clubs by country provides a marker of the strength of the dominant leagues from around the world.
Data from 2026 shows that men’s pro soccer fans are most likely to choose American clubs as their favorites.
This has held true since Sports Poll™ began tracking favorite soccer clubs a decade ago. The U.S. received a boost when Lionel Messi joined Inter Miami of MLS in 2023. Messi’s popularity as Americans’ favorite player was the major driver, but it remains to be seen how many of those fans will stick around once his career in MLS ends. Spanish clubs (including La Liga and lower divisions) and English clubs (including the Premier League and lower divisions) have gone back and forth in second place. The U.S., Spain, and England account for 78% of all favorite clubs mentioned by fans this year.
The World Cup introduced soccer fans (both new and old) to emerging stars from around the world.
Erling Haaland (playing for England’s Manchester City) and Jude Bellingham (playing for Spain’s Real Madrid) are among the players who received a lift in popularity. That doesn’t necessarily translate to gains for those clubs yet though. In fact, the greatest opportunity for growth is the 51% of men’s soccer fans who do not have a favorite soccer club in 2026. That’s up from 48% in 2025. These fans are more likely to be casual fans and older than fans who already have allegiances. Without a strong connection to a club, fans are more likely to follow soccer sporadically or stop following the sport all together. With an influx of new fans from the World Cup, this is the best time for leagues to understand who these unaffiliated fans are, why they haven’t developed connections yet, and how to convert them to ensure they build long-term relationships with clubs.
For more information on favorite teams in soccer and other sports from around the world, reach out to us.
Sports Poll by SSRS™ is conducted continuously throughout the year and includes a nationally representative sample of more than 24,000 Americans each year.
