The United States was selected to host the 1994 FIFA World Cup in an effort to expand soccer’s popularity nationwide. At the time, the country did not have a stable professional league, and many observers questioned why Americans had not embraced the world’s most popular sport with the same enthusiasm seen elsewhere.
Did the tournament fulfill its objectives? Edinho Nazareth Filho, professionally known as Edinho, who has lived the game at its highest level, saw an improvement but not a clear success. Coming from Brazil, a country where soccer is a passion, Edinho played for the national and Olympic teams before representing them in the 1978, 1982 and 1986 World Cups.
More than considering that playing for the Brazilian National Team is “the highest point a Brazilian soccer player can reach professionally,” Edinho emphasized that representing his country in such a sport was unbelievably rewarding on a personal level because of the passionate fans.
Edinho describes how the soccer culture works in Brazil by putting a lot of emphasis on the sport’s influence on everyone’s daily life in the country. Huge stadiums fill up, and each club idolizes its players. Everyone grows up surrounded by the sport, and loyalty to a club passes from one generation to the next.
For Edinho, this connection started early. He started at the age of 5 and always dreamed of becoming a professional. Even whilst playing for some of Brazil’s biggest clubs, such as Fluminense, Flamengo and Gremio, Edinho saw soccer as more than just a sport. Soccer in Brazil—like in many countries around the world—represents culture, identity, and community.
When comparing Brazil and the United States in terms of their soccer culture, Edinho pointed out that the 1994 World Cup partially fulfilled its intent in growing attention to the sport. But, unlike Brazil, soccer remained far from becoming a national passion in the U.S.
“Other sports like baseball, basketball and American football are deeply rooted in American culture,” Edinho said. Even after hosting the tournament, the sport “did not truly enter American culture,” he added.
Edinho explains that American sports viewers value constant scoring and visible action. Soccer does not always provide that. Games can end 0-0. Watching can require patience.
American audiences often look for entertainment first, Edinho believes, stating that soccer “doesn’t provide that same level of entertainment compared to other sports.” In Brazil and in many other South American and European countries, fans accept tension and buildup. In the United States, fans prefer scoring.
Brazil fans inherit club loyalty, and rivalries stretch back several decades. In the United States, professional soccer is still young.
Major League Soccer, the United States’ top professional men’s league, was formed shortly after the World Cup in 1996. As a result, soccer often becomes the fourth or fifth option in most American households, as children begin with football, baseball or basketball. When a child grows up in a Latin American or European household, soccer often comes first.
Will the culture change after the games in 2026?
Edinho remains cautious. When asked whether the World Cup or continued investment will bring soccer to the level of football or basketball, he expresses doubt. He says the strategies adopted so far—such as hosting the world’s premiere tournament—have limited long-term impact. He believes soccer ‘’must embed itself in daily American life, not rely on temporary events.’’
When trying to understand where soccer really stands in American culture, the numbers tell a pretty revealing story. The Super Bowl, for example, pulls in somewhere between 150 and 200 million viewers worldwide every year. It’s not just a football game at that point, it’s practically a national holiday, wrapped in commercials and halftime shows.
Now compare that to the MLS Cup. The audience is much smaller, and that gap says a lot about Major League Soccer’s still-growing footprint in the U.S. It has momentum, sure, but it doesn’t dominate the mainstream sports conversation in quite the same way.
Globally, soccer is playing a completely different game. FIFA reported that the 2022 World Cup final reached around 1.5 billion viewers. That kind of reach is hard to even wrap your head around. It shows just how deeply embedded soccer is around the world and also highlights the challenge of turning that global passion into lasting cultural dominance within the United States.
Abdiel Pagan, a Los Angeles-based coach and soccer content creator, believes “the gap is slowly getting bridged.” He sees more youth participation and believes soccer has passed baseball among young players in his area.
Pagan’s belief is supported by national polling. According to a Fox Sports survey, American football leads the preference among the population at 36%, followed by basketball at 17%, with soccer at 10%, and slightly ahead of baseball at 9%. “We’re not there yet,” Abdiel admits when comparing American rivalries to those in Europe or South America.
Edinho’s career reflects what happens when a country places soccer at the root of its culture. Edinho suggests that “the United States has not yet reached that point, and the 2026 FIFA World Cup will help but not trigger a massive cultural change in the U.S.”
On the other hand, people like Abdiel who are embedded in the U.S. soccer landscape can only hope for the best.
The world will (literally) be watching what’s next.
