Who Are Americans Rooting for This World Cup?

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is landing on home soil, co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico. For many fans, that raises a simple question: who are you rooting for? LiveSportsOnTV.com surveyed 1,007 U.S. adults with an interest in soccer to find out which team they'll back and why, how closely they plan to follow, and who they think will lift the trophy.

The short version: most are behind the home team, but plenty have a second favorite in their back pocket. And how people plan to follow the tournament, from the couch to a sportsbook app, says nearly as much about modern fandom as the rooting itself.

Key takeaways

Nearly 3 in 5 Americans (59%) plan to cheer for the United States this World Cup.
The tournament has pull well beyond the home team: only 12% say they'll stop watching if the U.S. gets eliminated.
Americans' picks to lift the trophy are the United States (17%) and Brazil (17%), followed by Spain (13%).
1 in 5 Americans (20%) say they're more likely to follow Major League Soccer once the World Cup ends.
Jelly Roll's 2026 World Cup anthem hasn't broken through yet: 1 in 3 Americans (33%) either haven't heard it or didn't know he was performing it, and among those with an opinion, more call it worse than past anthems (39%) than better (23%).
About 1 in 5 (22%) plan to bet, pool, or play fantasy in some form, and the gender gap is wide (29% of men vs. 15% of women).

How America plans to watch the World Cup

For most Americans, this is a watch-from-the-couch tournament, but the home-soil factor affects how invested they feel.

Infographic on how Americans plan to follow the 2026 World Cup, showing viewer interest levels, the ways they'll watch (live TV, streaming, highlights, and in person), pride in U.S. hosting, and whether they'll keep watching if the U.S. is eliminated.

Most Americans plan to watch the World Cup casually: 37% call themselves casual viewers, 19% are slightly interested, 14% say they're dedicated fans, and 12% say their interest is only due to the U.S. hosting. Just 17% aren't interested in tuning in.
49% of Americans plan to watch the 2026 World Cup live on TV at home, while others say they'll catch highlights on social media (36%), stream the matches online (30%), read recaps (29%), and check scores on their phone (26%). Just 7% expect to attend a match in person, and 19% don't plan to follow the tournament at all.
53% say they're proud the U.S. is helping host, and the same share (53%) think it will grow soccer's popularity in the long run; about a fifth disagree with each.
That goodwill has limits: only 20% say they'll be more likely to follow Major League Soccer after the tournament, while 45% disagree.
Watching skews solo over social: 41% don't plan to gather with friends or family to watch, slightly more than the 38% who do.
The pressure to back the home team is mild: 71% say they haven't felt judged for not cheering on the U.S., and 64% say they won't tune out even if the U.S. gets knocked out.

Who America is cheering for

The home team is the clear favorite, but a sizable group has thrown in with someone else.

Infographic on who Americans are rooting for at the 2026 World Cup, showing the share backing the U.S. men's team versus other countries, the reasons behind each pick, the top secondary teams, and which teams Americans root against.

The U.S. men's team is the runaway pick: 59% name it as their primary rooting interest. Mexico is a distant second at 4%, followed by Brazil (3%) and Argentina (2%), with England, Portugal, Canada, South Korea, Germany, and Spain each at 1%.
12% aren't planning to root for any team, 7% will go match by match, 3% are still undecided, and 1% will simply follow their favorite player.
Across all fans, the top reasons for backing a country are being born or having lived there (47%) and patriotism (43%), followed by just liking the team or country (24%), supporting a host nation (17%), and family heritage (14%).
The "why" splits sharply by team. U.S. backers lead with having been born or lived in the country (57%) and patriotism (52%). Fans of other countries lead with simply liking the team or country (40%), family heritage (29%), and family or friends with ties there (23%).
When asked for a secondary team, the U.S. again tops the list (14%), followed by Mexico, England, and Brazil (11% each), and Canada (10%).
About half of Americans (49%) won't root against anyone. Among the third (33%) who named a team, the U.S. itself draws the most opposition at 20%, ahead of Brazil, Mexico, and England (10% each).

The stars, the picks, and the side bets

Beyond who they're backing, Americans have opinions on who to watch, who'll win, and the culture around the tournament.

Infographic on the 2026 World Cup beyond the rooting, showing the players Americans are most excited to watch, who they predict will win, opinions on the Jelly Roll anthem, and how many plan to bet or join pools.

70% are excited to watch a specific player, and Lionel Messi leads by a wide margin (23%), ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo (10%). The U.S.'s Christian Pulisic and France's Kylian Mbappé tie next (5% each), followed by Neymar (4%) and Lamine Yamal (3%).
Picks to win are led by the United States and Brazil, tied at 17%, then Spain (13%), Argentina (12%), and France (8%).
Jelly Roll's 2026 World Cup anthem hasn't broken through yet. About 1 in 3 Americans (33%) either haven't heard it or didn't know he was performing it, and among those with an opinion, more call it worse than past anthems (39%) than better (23%).
22% plan to bet, pool, or play fantasy in some form, including 29% of men and 15% of women. Two-thirds (66%) won't take part, and 14% are still on the fence.
People most often plan to bet through a sportsbook app (13%) or make casual bets with friends (8%).

Methodology

We surveyed 1,007 U.S. adults with an interest in soccer to understand how Americans plan to engage with the 2026 FIFA World Cup, jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Respondents were asked which national team they plan to support and why, how closely they intend to follow the tournament, how they plan to watch, who they expect to win, and how they feel about the surrounding culture, from the official anthem to betting and pools.

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Fair use statement

This article is based on original survey research and may be used for noncommercial purposes. If you share these findings, please include proper attribution with a link back to LiveSportsOnTV.com.