Despite having hosted the FIFA World Cup in 1994 and set to co-host the upcoming 2026 edition of the competition, there is no doubt that the interest levels within the United States of America are not as high as other nations around the world.
There are perhaps a number of different reasons that would suggest why the Americans do not have an interest in the sport that they know as soccer, with some of them likely to have had a bigger impact than others in why one of the biggest sporting events around the world continues to lack so much appeal to the country’s population.
Is There a Buzz in America for the 2022 FIFA World Cup?
Soccer is Not the National Sport
Unlike many different countries around the world, soccer is not the national sport of America. In fact, if a list was compiled ranking the popularity of the sport in the nation, it would be rather low down in the rankings.
There is, though, some argument about which sport would be considered the top ones within the nation as American Football, Basketball and Baseball continue to compete for honors. Many will immediately claim that American Football is by far the leader, with millions of fans watching the NFL and even the College game regularly as well as the Super Bowl.
However, with that said, millions will continue to tune into the NBA and the MLB, whilst even the NHL might have a bigger fanbase than Soccer’s MLS within the country; thus, highlighting just how little interest there is in the sport.
Nonetheless, there is definitely a growing interest in it as it has become a highly popular betting favourite for many punters who are able to access sportsbooks within the country. Soccer will provide them with a regular opportunity to wager, whilst it is played in all corners of the world, unlike American Football, Basketball and Baseball.
Team’s Recent Poor Competition Performances
The USMNT may have been able to guide their way to the CONCACAF Gold Cup recently, however, their performances in the recent editions of the FIFA World Cup is perhaps another reason why there is not a real buzz for the 2022 edition.
Indeed, the Americans missed out on the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia after an embarrassing qualifying campaign, which ended a run of seven straight tournament appearances. Their best performance in that period, though, came back in 2002 when they reached the quarter-finals of the competition.
However, throughout history, they did not compete in the nine editions between 1954 and 1986, which may have played a role in why the sporting event does not resonate with fans in the country as much as it probably will in the future; especially as soccer continues to emerge as a popular sport.
There is Plenty to be Excited About regarding the 2022 FIFA World Cup
Should USMNT be able to acquire qualification to the 2022 FIFA World Cup – and they look positioned to do so at this moment – then there is no reason why fan interest should increase.
It could be argued that the country is currently experiencing its ‘Golden Generation’ of talent at the moment and with so many of the individuals to be classed within that label being incredibly young, the future of the country within soccer looks to be rather bright.
Admittedly, it would perhaps take a miracle to see them win the competition, however with a good showing possible with the players available, it is a competition fans should be looking forward to.
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