When it comes to soccer, Boston is booming
By Mike Loynd, President, FIFA World Cup Boston 2026 Host Committee
Recognized as one of the best sports cities in America, Boston has a tradition of enthusiasm for all sports. However, soccer is the one in the spotlight now, as many factors fuse to produce a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
This was highlighted at the Boston Globe’s recent Globe Summit panel – the State of Soccer in Massachusetts – where I was a speaker.
We looked back at the 1994 FIFA World Cup and identified how this event was a catalyst for huge growth in the game and an explosion in fandom. We looked forward to the 2026 event – where Boston is once again a Host City – to predict an economic impact of $1.1 billion over a 39-day period of matches, festivals and celebrations, and an estimated $80 million worth of “earned” publicity.
This era – let’s call it the “first half” for soccer in the U.S. – has lasted 30 years, delivered exponential growth and transformed the sport. We have seen this for ourselves in Boston and the surrounding region.
Our MLS team – New England Revolution – is one of the 10 charter clubs of MLS. This means Boston has been at the heart of the action since its inception in 1996. There will soon be 30 clubs when the league celebrates its 30th anniversary season in 2025.
Ticket sales are strong, essential for healthy growth. On April 27 this year, our Revolution set a new single match attendance record of 65,612. In 2024, the club will set a new record with an average attendance exceeding 28,000 fans per match, among the top-five markets in the league.
Women’s soccer is a very big part of this story – a sport at which the U.S. excels, having won the FIFA Women’s World Cup more than any other nation. As Jennifer Epstein, a fellow member of our panel pointed out, interest in the women’s game is 22% above the national average in Boston and the city will soon have its own team, backed by an all-female investor group. It has been awarded expansion rights for the NWSL’s 15th team. The new club is set to kick off in the 2026 season, a serendipitous year to launch.
As 2026 approaches, the “second half” is upon us.
Soccer is now America’s fastest growing sport, according to Gallup. Its growth rate is outstripping that of traditional American sports.
The U.S. can at last call itself a soccer nation – home to 100 million fans of the beautiful game. According to a Gallup study and Nielsen fan insights from 2022, cited by fellow panelist and New England Revolution President Brian Bilello, this is projected to increase to 140 million as a result of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, based on a similar multiplier ratio that followed the 1994 event. Soccer fandom in the U.S. is already at an all time high with new followers growing 57% year on year. There is no other sport in America that has taken off as quickly over the last 40 years as soccer among high schoolers.
What is truly encouraging to us in Massachusetts is the profile of this growing army of fans. Young – more than 54% are under the age of 45 – ethnically diverse and digitally savvy, this is the group that will guarantee the future of the sport.
The potential impact of 2026 cannot be overstated. We were a successful host city in 1994, 1999 and 2003, but 2026 will be on an entirely different scale.
For one thing, the introduction of the FIFA Fan Festival concept means a more inclusive and enjoyable experience for Boston’s citizens and visitors, even if they cannot get to a game.
And media coverage will be off the charts compared to 1994. No longer reliant on terrestrial television, but available on smartphones, computers, tablets, and even game consoles as preferred options for some. With seven matches played here, our city and the surrounding region will be showcased to half the world’s population.
Boston is well-positioned to take full advantage of this upcoming massive booster dose of adrenaline. Boston and New England has a strong network of organizations that will work with us to leverage this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to enhance their programs.
In Boston, soccer is no longer the sport of the future – its time has come.