The FIFA World Cup arrives on US soil this summer for the first time since 1994, and Nielsen’s pre-tournament audience data contains a finding account execs will want in their pitch decks: American soccer fans over-index on sports radio by double digits.
Nielsen Fan Insights surveyed US adults between January 2025 and February 2026 as part of its official media intelligence role for the tournament. The data covers fan behavior across viewership, engagement, and local market audiences in all 11 US host cities.
61% of US soccer fans use radio to follow sports news, compared to 46% of the general population, and the podcast figure is comparable: 60% of soccer fans report using the medium for sports content versus 37% of the general public. Nielsen also reports that 77% of soccer fans who use radio or podcasts do so specifically for soccer content.
Those numbers sit within a broader engagement landscape, where television leads all platforms for sports news among soccer fans at 83%, followed by social media at 80% and digital video at 76%. Radio’s 61% positions it ahead of social messaging apps among the same group.
The audience is also growing. Copa América average viewership more than doubled between 2021 and 2024; the CONCACAF Gold Cup and UEFA Women’s EURO both posted large gains in 2025. Local broadcasters in host markets like Los Angeles, New York, and Kansas City, carry audience bases Nielsen’s data shows are already engaged with soccer well before kickoff.
The report cites favorable time zones, home-country participation, and deep cultural ties to competing nations as drivers for what it projects will be record US viewership this summer.
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