FIFA 2026 effect: Gen Z and Millennials power football’s rise across North America

With less than a year to go for the FIFA World Cup 2026, football’s growth story in North America is increasingly becoming less about sport and more about changing consumer behaviour, digital media economics, and a younger generation of fans reshaping the market.

A new consumer research report by Nielsen, The Fans Behind The Game: FIFA World Cup 2026™ Edition, shows that soccer fandom across North America has grown 10.9% over the last five years, taking the region’s total fan base to more than 136 million.

At the centre of that growth is the United States, which now hosts the world’s fourth-largest soccer audience with 62.5 million fans. More significantly, the sport’s momentum is being powered by younger consumers: 76% of U.S. soccer fans are Millennials or Gen Z.

The numbers signal a broader shift in how global sports are being consumed and monetised.

How are younger audiences changing football consumption?

Unlike legacy sports audiences that remain anchored to linear television, football’s emerging fan base appears increasingly platform-agnostic—moving between live broadcasts, streaming services, social feeds and creator-led formats. According to Nielsen’s findings, 72% of fans engage through television and streaming platforms, while nearly half consume football content through social media. In Canada, short-form highlights and social-first content are gaining traction as preferred viewing formats.

“Football’s growth in North America is no longer being driven only by live events—it is being accelerated by how younger audiences discover, share and participate in sport across digital platforms,” a FIFA spokesperson said.

That shift has implications well beyond broadcasters.

For advertisers, streaming companies and consumer brands, football is increasingly becoming a high-value audience acquisition play. Nielsen’s report notes that soccer fans in the U.S. are younger—averaging 33 years of age—and more affluent than the broader population, making them an attractive demographic for premium consumption categories.

The audience profile is also widening. Female engagement in soccer fandom across North America stands at 43%, higher than Europe’s 36%, indicating deeper mainstream penetration and broader commercial opportunities for sponsors.

Consumer sentiment suggests the momentum may continue. Nearly 64% of fans expect their interest in football to increase further, while over two-thirds said their engagement with the sport has strengthened over the last three years as anticipation for FIFA 2026 builds.

The economic upside is already visible. Nielsen cited estimates from the FIFA Club World Cup hosted in major U.S. cities in 2025, which generated $17.1 billion in gross output, contributed $9.6 billion to GDP and supported 105,000 jobs.

For media companies and marketers, FIFA 2026 may not simply be a sporting spectacle—it could become a defining test of whether younger audiences have permanently rewritten the economics of sports consumption.