Most Americans say it is too expensive for the average American to attend a World Cup game

Washington, D.C., June 2, 2026 – With the U.S. set to host its first World Cup since 1994 alongside Canada and Mexico, a new Ipsos poll conducted May 29-31 finds that a majority of Americans feel it is too expensive for the average American to attend a game at the tournament.

More broadly, while two-thirds of Americans have heard at least a little about the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2026, a more modest share (36%) plans on watching the tournament in some form.

The poll also finds that while many tournament-watchers align with the view that the U.S. team’s participation and performance in the World Cup makes them proud to be an American, fewer have high expectations for the U.S. team.

With 48 countries competing in this year's tournament, family heritage also plays a role in World Cup rooting interests, with Hispanic Americans especially likely to say there are other countries they enjoy rooting for besides the U.S. due to their family heritage.

Detailed Findings

1. Most Americans have heard about the World Cup; 26% say they are excited.

• Two-thirds (64%) of Americans say they have heard at least a little about the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2026, which is being co-hosted by the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.
• About a quarter (26%) report being at least somewhat excited about the World Cup. A modest share (7%) say they are extremely or very excited.
• Roughly a third (36%) of Americans plan to watch the World Cup in some form, including on live TV (18%), via streaming (15%), via clips/highlights (15%), or in-person (1%).
• A majority (64%) of Americans who plan to watch the World Cup report feeling at least somewhat excited about the tournament.

2. Americans largely feel that it is too expensive for the average American to afford to attend a World Cup game.

• Overall, 59% of Americans say the overall cost of attending a World Cup game is too expensive for the average American, compared with just 2% that say it is affordable for the average American and 37% that are not sure.
• Among those who plan to watch the World Cup, 76% say it is too expensive, 6% say it is affordable, and 18% are unsure.

3. World Cup viewers say the U.S. team evokes national pride – but fewer have high expectations for the U.S. team.

• Overall, 52% of Americans and 70% of tournament-watchers say the statement that the “U.S. team’s performance and participation in the World Cup makes me proud to be an American” describes their views very or somewhat well.
• These feelings of national pride are higher among Republicans (67%) compared to independents (53%) and Democrats (46%), as well as among Americans ages 65+ (67%) and 50-64 (62%) compared to Americans ages 35-49 (40%) and 18-34 (42%).
• When it comes to the U.S. team’s performance, 58% of World Cup viewers say the statement “I don’t have high expectations for the U.S. in the World Cup” describes their views well. Fewer World Cup viewers (37%) align with the view that they will be disappointed if the U.S. does not win the World Cup.

4. When it comes to World Cup rooting interests outside of the U.S., family heritage plays a larger role among Hispanic Americans.

• Overall, 41% of Americans and 70% of tournament-watchers say there are other countries that they enjoy rooting for besides the U.S.
• In addition, 24% of Americans and 46% of tournament-watchers say they root for other countries besides the U.S. due to their family heritage.
• Family heritage plays a larger role in determining World Cup rooting interests among Hispanic Americans, with nearly half (45%) saying they root for countries besides the U.S. in the World Cup due to their family heritage, compared to just 19% of non-Hispanic Americans who say the same.

About the Study

This Ipsos poll was conducted May 29-31, 2026, by Ipsos using the probability-based KnowledgePanel®. This poll is based on a nationally representative probability sample of 1,023 general population adults aged 18 or older.

The study was conducted in English. The data were weighted to adjust for gender by age, race and ethnicity, census region, metropolitan status, education, household income, 2024 vote choice, and political party identification. Political party identification benchmarks are from the 2025 NPORS annual survey, with a midyear adjustment estimated across aggregated KnowledgePanel surveys accounting for changes in panelists’ party identification over time. The demographic benchmarks came from the 2025 March supplement of the U.S. Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey (CPS).

• Gender (Male, Female) by Age (18–29, 30–44, 45-59 and 60+)
• Race/Hispanic Ethnicity (White Non-Hispanic, Black Non-Hispanic, Other, Non-Hispanic, Hispanic, 2+ Races, Non-Hispanic)
• Education (Less than High School, High School, Some College, Bachelor’s degree, Master’s degree or higher)
• Census Region (Northeast, Midwest, South, West)
• Metropolitan status (Metro, non-Metro)
• Household Income (Under $25,000, $25,000-$49,999, $50,000-$74,999, $75,000-$99,999, $100,000-$149,999, $150,000+)
• 2024 Vote Choice (Trump, Harris, Another candidate, Did not vote)
• Political Party ID (Democrat, Lean Democrat, Republican, Lean Republican, Independent/Something else)

The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 3.6 percentage points at the 95% confidence level, for results based on the entire sample of adults. The margin of sampling error takes into account the design effect, which was 1.36. The margin of sampling error is higher and varies for results based on sub-samples. In our reporting of the findings, percentage points are rounded off to the nearest whole number. As a result, percentages in a given table column may total slightly higher or lower than 100%. In questions that permit multiple responses, columns may total substantially more than 100%, depending on the number of different responses offered by each respondent.

For more information on this news release, please contact:

Alec Tyson
Senior Vice President, US
Public Affairs
[email protected]

Johnny Sawyer
Senior Research Manager, US
Public Affairs
[email protected]

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