Los Angeles voted as No.1 city in the US for soccer fans

Soccer continues to be the fastest-growing sport in the United States. Despite still trailing the NFL, NBA and even MLB in terms of overall popularity, the game is seeing an upward trajectory in terms of interest which is expected to grow ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

During 2022, MLS attracted more than 10 million fans during with a new attendance record set as Charlotte FC secured an 73,019 for a home game (vs LA Galaxy). The record was expected to be broken in the 2023 season opener before weather issues forced the ‘El Trafico’ at the Rose Bowl to be postponed through to 4 July.

Financial site Wallethub conducted a study to identify the most soccer-friendly city in the United States and considered 300 cities across the nation USA with at least one college or professional soccer team in five divisions comprising 52 different key metrics.

LA, the capital of soccer

The results of the study showed that Los Angeles was the most soccer-friendly city in the entire North American country. The Californian city finished five points higher in its ranking of 56.87 than second-place Seattle, and more than six points higher than third-place Portland.

Much of this is due to the fact that it is one of the few cities that has two MLS club: LA Galaxy and current MLS Cup holders LAFC.

Both teams, located just 12 miles apart, regularly sell out their stadiums and have some of the most loyal fan bases. Success on the pitch along with community work off the pitch, superstar players, the value of the franchise, fan popularity boosted by a large number of Hispanics who follow both teams were just some of the reasons why Los Angeles was selected as the best city for soccer. in the U.S.

The most soccer cities in the United States

1. Los Angeles, California

2. Seattle, Washington

3. Portland, Oregon

4. Orlando, Florida

5. Kansas City, Missouri

6. Washington, D.C.

7. New York, New York

8. Atlanta, Georgia

9. Salt Lake City, Utah

10. St. Paul, Minnesota