Alan Rothenberg, former longtime president of the U.S. Soccer Federation, believes the 2026 World Cup will trigger sustained growth in American soccer interest, calling it a “rocket launch” moment for the sport in the U.S. Rothenberg, who played a crucial role in bringing the 1994 World Cup to the U.S. and helped establish Major League Soccer (MLS), disagrees with critics who think this tournament will only provide a temporary boost. He predicts soccer will soon be recognized as the second-most popular sport in the country, behind American football, surpassing baseball and basketball.

MLS shares Rothenberg’s optimism, having launched a new campaign called “Thanks World, We’ll Take It From Here” in mid-July 2026 to capitalize on the World Cup’s momentum. MLS commissioner Don Garber emphasized that as soccer’s general popularity rises, the league is poised to grow alongside it. While past World Cups brought gradual increases in U.S. soccer popularity, Rothenberg acknowledges the process won’t happen overnight but points to strong attendance and record TV viewership — including a combined 50 million viewers for the U.S.-Belgium match on Fox and Telemundo, rivaling major NFL games — as signs of growing engagement.

Rothenberg notes that the landscape today is very different from when MLS began in 1996 or when the U.S. hosted the 1994 World Cup. Better youth development infrastructure like MLS Next, established in 2020, and new facilities such as the Arthur M. Blank U.S. Soccer National Training Center, which opened in Atlanta earlier this year and hosted World Cup matches, support steady growth at all levels, including women’s soccer. Despite the U.S. men’s national team’s exit in the Round of 16, the tournament has still showcased potential for future success and ongoing expansion of the sport.

While MLS currently lags behind the NFL and MLB in attendance and traditional TV viewership — partially due to its $2.5 billion Apple TV streaming deal — Rothenberg expects interest from streaming platforms and broadcasters to increase as soccer’s global appeal gains traction domestically. He predicts that within a decade, soccer will be firmly established as America’s second-ranking sport, having moved beyond niche status to become an integral part of the country’s sports culture.