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America's soccer boom is building ahead of the World Cup

Axios · · 508 words · By Ashley Mahoney
open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.axios.com/2026/05/09/world-cup-us-soccer-growth

fact_checkFact-Check Results

12 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

verified Verified By Reference 6
info Single Source 2
help Insufficient Evidence 2
schedule Pending 2
verified
“The FIFA World Cup kicks off June 11 and will be played across the United States, Mexico and Canada.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia and official FIFA sources confirm the 2026 World Cup starts on June 11 and is co-hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be the 23rd FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international men's soccer championship contested by the national teams of the member associations of FIFA. The tournament will…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_FIFA_World_Cup
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — As of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, 80 national teams have competed at the finals of the men’s FIFA World Cup. Brazil is the only team to have appeared in all 22 tournaments to date, with Germany having pa…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FIFA_World_Cup_records_and_sta…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The FIFA World Cup is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the sport's global…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_FIFA_World_Cup_finals
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
“37% of people anticipate their interest in soccer will increase over the next 18 months, according to Nielsen data.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The provided evidence for Nielsen only contains general company descriptions and unrelated entries for people named Nielsen; no specific data regarding soccer interest percentages was found.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Brigitte Nielsen (Danish pronunciation: [pʁiˈkitə ˈne̝lsn̩]; born Gitte Nielsen; 15 July 1963) is a Danish actress, model, and singer. She began her career modelling for Greg Gorman and Helmut Newton.…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brigitte_Nielsen
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Holger Louis Nielsen (18 December 1866 – 26 January 1955) was a Danish fencer, sport shooter, and athlete. He competed at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens. He is probably best known for drawing up t…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holger_Nielsen
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New Yor…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nielsen_Media_Research
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
“Of the 5.6 million high school athletes who played sports in 1993-1994, 7.5% of them played soccer (421,711 boys and girls), according to data from the National Federation of State High School Associations.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The search results provided for this claim are dictionary definitions of the word 'according' and unrelated Wikipedia entries for flags and countries.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — All 193 member states and 2 General Assembly non-member observer states of the United Nations, in addition to several de facto states, represent themselves with national flags. National flags generall…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_national_flags_of_sove…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. A federal constitutional monarchy, it consists of 13 states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two regions: Peninsular Malays…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaysia
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The State Anthem of the Russian Federation is the national anthem of Russia. It uses the same melody as the State Anthem of the Soviet Union, composed by Alexander Alexandrov, and new lyrics by Sergey…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_anthem_of_Russia
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
“As of 2024-2025, 10.6% of high school students played the game (877,956 out of 8.3 million).”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The search results provided are unrelated videos and dictionary definitions of the word 'in' or 'inch'.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — IN, In or in may refer to:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The inch (symbol: in or ″) is a unit of length in the British Imperial and the United States customary systems of measurement. It is equal to ⁠1/36⁠ yard or ⁠1/12⁠ of a foot. Derived from the Roman un…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inch
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Killed in action (KIA) is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their personnel at the hands of enemy or hostile forces at the moment of action. The United S…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killed_in_action
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
“For ages 6 and up, more than 16.7 million people played outdoor soccer in the United States in 2025, Sports & Fitness Industry Association data shows.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The evidence provided consists of general sports Wikipedia pages, a music festival, and a mobile game; no specific SFIA data for 2025 outdoor soccer participation was found.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Anytime Fitness Franchisor, LLC, doing business as Anytime Fitness, is an American franchise of 24 hour health and fitness clubs that is based in Woodbury, Minnesota, United States. The company operat…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anytime_Fitness
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The National Council on Strength and Fitness (NCSF) is a member-driven organization of exercise professionals located in Coral Gables, Florida. The NCSF board for certification oversees the National C…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Council_on_Strength_&…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The President's Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition (PCSFN) is a federal advisory committee of the United States that aims to promote "programs and initiatives that motivate people of all ages, b…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President's_Council_on_Sports,…
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
“Major League Soccer — the nation's top men's league — began play in 1996 and currently has 30 teams.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia and other sources confirm MLS began play in 1996. While the provided evidence doesn't explicitly state the current team count is 30, the start date is verified.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The league began play in 1996 with 10 teams, and in 1998 grew to 12 teams. MLS experienced some difficulties in its first seasons, with the league losing money in the early years, resulting in two tea…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Major_League_Soccer
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Major League Soccer (MLS), North American football (soccer) league that is the highest level of soccer competition on that continent. The league began play in 1996 as an offshoot of a successful bid b…
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Major-League-Soccer
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web search NEUTRAL — Welcome to the official YouTube page of Major League Soccer! MLS features stars from around the world, including one from Argentina. We score bangers only. Watch them here.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSZbXT5TLLW_i-5W8FZpFsg
info
“The league launched a third division affiliate in 2022 called MLS Next Pro, which also has 30 teams.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The search results provided for this claim refer to real estate (Multiple Listing Service) and general MLS stats, not the specific launch or team count of MLS Next Pro.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — MLS.com® is a free MLS search to find real estate listings for sale by Realtors® and other realty professionals that are members of your local MLS Multiple Listing Service. MLS.com® also features fore…
https://www.mls.com/
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web search NEUTRAL — From Rules and Regulations to Forms & Applications to the latest Fair Housing Initiatives, News, Classes, Tutorials and Help & Tech Support…and MORE! Your MLS login and dashboard to all your MIAMI Pro…
https://www.miamirealtors.com/mls/
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web search NEUTRAL — Get the full MLS stats for the 2026 season on ESPN. Includes leaders in goals, assists, yellow and red cards, and longest winning streaks.
https://www.espn.com/soccer/stats/_/league/usa.1
info
“In the men's game, the USL Championship, a second division league, has 25 teams, while USL League One, a third-division league has 17 teams.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The evidence provided mentions the USL Championship in passing but does not confirm the specific team counts for the Championship or League One.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — MLS teams have dominated the competition since the league began play in 1996.which mostly affected USL Championship teams operated by MLS as reserve or developmental squads.[17].
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Open_Cup
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Get the 2025-26 season English Premier League standings on ESPN. Find the full standings with win, loss and draw record for each team.
https://www.espn.com/soccer/standings/_/league/eng.1
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Six different teams have won the Turkish Super Lig, though Besiktas have lifted the trophy 16 times. This is three fewer than the 19 triumphs from Fenerbahce, which itself is six behind the 25 league …
https://www.givemesport.com/best-leagues-in-world-football-s…
help
“USL plans to launch a first division men's league in 2028 called USL Premier.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found after searching for the launch of 'USL Premier' in 2028.
help
“It also operates a top-tier women's league, Gainbridge Super League (formerly the USL Super League), which launched in 2024 and currently includes nine teams.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found after searching for the Gainbridge Super League or its team count.
schedule
“The National Women's Soccer League has announced expansion teams in Atlanta and Columbus, bringing the league to 18 teams by 2028.”
PENDING
schedule
“Ream remembers watching the 1994 World Cup as a 6-year-old. He's the only player on the current USMNT squad who can.”
PENDING
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.