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The Numbers Defining Soccer’s Growth Since 2020

December 16, 2024

Soccer in North America is experiencing a seismic shift, and the numbers tell the story. Since 2020, the sport has seen explosive growth across every imaginable category—from billion-dollar investments and groundbreaking new stadiums to record-setting media deals and sold-out games. Whether it’s the surge in attendance, the boom in brands turning to soccer, or the influx of new owners drawn to the game’s potential, it’s clear soccer is no longer just a passion point for diehard fans. It’s becoming a major player in the North American sports industry, and the pace of growth is unlike any we’ve seen before.

We compiled a list of 40 numbers that capture just how far the sport has come in the last few years. Spanning everything from infrastructure and sponsorship deals to on-field competition and media rights, these figures paint a picture of soccer’s expanding footprint and growing influence.

While this list isn’t exhaustive, it highlights the undeniable momentum building behind the game. If you’re in the business of soccer, great. If you’re simply watching from the sidelines, it’s not too late to join us!

Numbers Defining Soccer’s Growth

Take a closer look at the metrics fueling soccer’s rapid transformation. In just the past four years, over $14 billion have been invested on the field, on the TV, in ownership, etc.—and that’s just from the numbers we included below! From number one to nearly 17 billion, jump into just some of the numbers helping define soccer’s growth across North America:

  • 1: We’ll start with the proverbial “North Star” in the years to come—the number of FIFA World Cup tournaments awarded to North America in the next five years (U.S. Soccer). Also, as you may recall, the U.S. and Mexico are bidding to host the 2031 FIFA Women’s World Cup, as well (ESPN)
  • 5: The number of Olympic gold medals won by the U.S. Women’s National Team after Paris 2024—four more than any other country in Olympic history (NPR)
  • 7: Number of years the NWSL Collective Bargaining Agreement, signed in September 2024, runs through with updates including the removal of the Draft, no restrictions on out-of-contract player movement, and guaranteed contracts (ESPN)
  • 9: The position of MLS in Opta’s most recent rankings of the ‘Strongest Leagues in the World.’ This position is up from #23 and #10 in the past two seasons, pointing to the league’s continued growth both off the field, as well as on (Opta Analyst)
  • 10: Since 2020, ten teams in MLS, NWSL, and USL Championship have called new soccer-specific stadiums home. MLS has five, with TQL Stadium (FC Cincinnati), Q2 Stadium (Austin FC), Lower.com Field (Columbus Crew), Geodis Park (Nashville SC), and Energizer Park (St. Louis CITY). NWSL has two in Lynn Family Stadium (Racing Louisville) and CPKC Stadium (Kansas City Current), while USL Championship has three with Phoenix Rising Stadium (Phoenix Rising), Weidner Field (Colorado Springs Switchbacks), and Lynn Family Stadium (Louisville City FC)
  • 27: Total clubs across major European leagues with North American investors as of October 2024. The list includes 10 in the Premier League (Arsenal, Aston Villa, Bournemouth, Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Fulham, Ipswich, Man United, Liverpool, Everton), eight in Serie A (Atalanta, Bologna, Fiorentina, Genoa, Inter Milan, AC Milan, Parma, Roma, Venezia), six in Ligue 1 (Le Havre, Lyon, Marseille, St. Etienne, Strasbourg, Toulouse, and two in La Liga (Leganés, Mallorca) (Football Benchmark)
  • 41: The percentage growth in MLS jersey sales from from 2022 to July 2024—in no small part due to Lionel Messi’s arrival at Inter Miami (ESPN)
  • 92: Goals scored so far in the 2024-25 Concacaf W Champions Cup—the first annual continental women’s club competition. Two NWSL clubs (Portland Thorns, Gotham FC) and two Liga MX Femenil clubs (Tigres, Club América) remain, with the Semifinals and Final set for May 2025 (Concacaf)
  • 250: The minimum number of English Football League games CBS Sports will air annually through the 2027/28 season thanks to a broadcast deal announced in July 2024. This count includes games from the Championship, League One, League Two, Carabao Cup, and Bristol Street Motors Trophy (Deadline)
  • 400: Speaking of broadcasts, this is the number of USL Championship and USL League One games to be shown annually on ESPN platforms as part of USL’s new agreement with ESPN (USL)
  • 10,533: The opening game attendance for Charlotte-based Carolina Ascent FC of the USL Super League in August 2024, which set a record for pro women’s soccer attendance in the Carolinas. The league had two other sellouts on opening weekend, including games in Spokane, WA and Tampa, FL (USL)
  • 11,500: Capacity of CPKC Stadium—the home of the Kansas City Current and first-ever purpose-built stadium specifically for women’s soccer. Opened at the start of the NWSL season, CPKC Stadium was sold out for every home game—a first in NWSL history (Kansas City Current)
  • 35,038: Soccer at Wrigley Field? You bet—on June 8, 2024, the NWSL’s Chicago Red Stars hosted Bay FC at the ‘Friendly Confines,’ setting an NWSL attendance record along the way (Chicago Red Stars)
  • 58,156: In June 2023, Club América hosted Pachuca at Estadio Azteca and set a Liga MX Femenil attendance record (ESPN)
  • 147,000: The number of tickets bought by American fans ahead of the 2022 FIFA Men’s World Cup in Qatar—the most tickets purchased by fans from a visiting country (AS)
  • 546,000: record-breaking average number of U.S. viewers for Premier League games on NBC Sports during the 2023-24 season. The season also included the most-ever viewers for a Premier League game—2.12 million tuned in for Manchester City versus Arsenal on March 31 (Premier League)
  • 967,900: Total viewers for the 2024 NWSL Championship on CBS—not just a record total for an NWSL title game, but also the most-watched game in league history (NWSL)
  • 1.6 million: Total attendees across all 32 games of the 2024 Copa América, up 80% from the 2016 edition of Copa América which was also held in the U.S. The average stadium occupancy was 77%, with an average of 49,000 people per game (beIN SPORTS)
  • 2 million: Never before had NWSL surpassed this number of total attendees across the entire league, but the 2024 season set a new benchmark in early-November. In total, 89 games saw an attendance over 10,000—up from 55 in the 2023 season. Average attendance also surpassed 11,000 per game—a first for any women’s league worldwide (NWSL)
  • $2.5 million: The amount actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney purchased Wrexham AFC for in 2020. Through their own investment, outside investment, new sponsorships, and a TV show (with a reported 16.6 times the demand of the average TV series in the U.S.), the club has been nothing short of a success, both on the field in and in the pop culture zeitgeist during their rise from the 5th division to League One (AP News)
  • $6 million: The reported annual salary of U.S. Men’s National Team coach, Mauricio Pochettino, hired in September 2024. The salary, which makes Pochettino the highest paid coach in U.S. Soccer history, was supported in significant part through a donation by billionaire founder of the Citadel financial empire, Ken Griffin (Fortune). The secured gift is part of a larger strategic shift by U.S. Soccer to seek donations for priority projects, including the hiring of Pochettino and Women’s coach Emma Hayes (Sportico)
  • 9.4 million: Total English- and Spanish-language viewers of the Euro 2024 Final, making it the most-watched Euro game ever in the U.S. (Sports Media Watch). Both the English-language total Final viewership (6.4 million) and average Euro games viewership (1.7 million) on FOX were also records for the U.S. audience (FOX Sports PR)
  • 12.1 million: The total number of attendees across MLS regular season and playoff games during the 2024—a record set in the league’s 29th season (MLS). 11.5 million attended MLS games during the regular season, up 5% from 2023 and 14% from 2022 (MLS)
  • 14.1 million: The number of outdoor soccer participants ages 6 years or older through 2023. That total marks an impressive 8.1% increase from the previous year and a 23% increase compared to 2018. Of the 14.1 million, 38% are “core” participants, having played 26 or more times per year (SFIA)
  • 25.8 million: Total combined viewers across FOX and Telemundo for the 2022 FIFA Men’s World Cup Final. Viewership for the Final was up 31% over 2018 Final (ESPN)
  • $30 million: Amount of money donated to U.S. Soccer by Michele Kang in November 2024. The donation is the largest philanthropic investment in U.S. Soccer’s women’s and girls’ programs and is set to create over 100,000 new opportunities for women and girls in soccer (U.S. Soccer)
  • $50 million: The amount pledged by Atlanta business icon, sports owner, and philanthropist Arthur Blank to help U.S. Soccer complete its new, state-of-the-art training facility and headquarters in the Atlanta area. The training facility will bear Blank’s name as a token to his investment in youth and adult soccer programs (U.S. Soccer)
  • $240 million: Value of the NWSL’s most recent, four-year media rights deal that was signed in November 2024. The deal sees 118 of the league’s games spread across CBS Sports, ESPN, Prime Video, and Scripps Sports through the (ESPN)
  • $250 million: Value of the NWSL’s Angel City FC after the club sold a controlling stake to Willow Bay and Bob Iger in September 2024. The deal ups the previous valuation of $180 million by Sportico, and further increases the club’s delta over the league average valuation of $66 million (Sportico)
  • $350 million: The projected cost of Inter Miami’s new 25,000-seat, soccer-specific stadium set to open in 2026. The stadium is part of the $1 billion Miami Freedom Park—a 131-acre development built around the stadium (Front Office Sports)
  • $655 million: Total sponsorship dollars amassed by MLS and its clubs in the 2024 season. This number represents a 13% increase from 2023 and a 44% increase from 2022 (Sportico)
  • $678 million: The average valuation of MLS clubs in January 2024, up 16% since 2022. Four teams top the $1 billion mark, including LAFC, Atlanta United, Inter Miami, and LA Galaxy. Collectively, the 29 MLS clubs are valued at $19.7 billion (Sportico)
  • $780 million: The cost of New York City FC’s 25,000-seat soccer stadium set to open in 2027. The Queens-based stadium, called Etihad Park, will be built in the Willets Point neighborhood and sit next to the New York Mets’ Citi Field (Forbes)
  • $1.25 billion: The reported investment NFL owners and Apollo Global Management are interested in making into Liga MX’s commercial and media rights (Sportico). The deal remains in limbo at time of publishing (New York Times), as the league and its clubs wrestle with centralizing their commercial rights—a change from the current setup where teams may negotiate independently with media companies
  • $1.4 billion: Value of the 8-year broadcast agreement that saw ESPN take over English- and Spanish-language rights to La Liga in 2021. The deal runs through the 2028-29. ESPN will broadcast all 380 league games annually (New York Times)
  • $1.8 billion: The supposed value of Nike’s new jersey supplier deal with long-time partner club, FC Barcelona. The deal, signed in November 2024, extends FC Barcelona jersey supplier deal for next 14 seasons and adds to the relationship the pair have had since 1998 (Forbes)
  • $2.5 billion: Value of the broadcast agreement between MLS Apple over the course of 10 years. As part of the deal, Apple TV broadcasts every MLS and Leagues Cup game (New York Times). After two seasons, MLS Season Pass has, reportedly, over 2 million global subscribers and averaged over a million viewers across its slate of Saturday games in the 2024 season (Sports Business Journal)
  • 3 billion: The number of YouTube video views for gamer-turned-soccer-influencer ISHOWSPEED since Jan. 2022. In that time, he’s become one of the most well-known content creators in the world, as evidenced by his ‘Streamer of the Year’ award at the 2024 Streamer Awards (YouTube). He will also be part of the U.S.-based Baller League set to begin in 2025 (Yahoo Sports)
  • $5.4 billion: Amount paid by the American billionaire Todd Boehly-led group to purchase Chelsea in 2022, ending Roman Abramovich’s 19-year ownership of the club (Forbes)
  • 16.9 billion: The total number of minutes of Ted Lasso S3 viewed on Apple TV+ in 2023, making it, at the time, the most-watched original streaming show of all time (Deadline)