The 2026 World Cup Will Bring Serious Star Power to the States — Can American Soccer Capitalize? | OneFootball

Americans love their superstars, and there will be no shortage of them at the 2026 World Cup. Will the nation jump on the opportunity to ignite a new era of soccer growth? We explore this questions with the help of two stars in their own right, Rivaldo and Fernando Morientes. 

After years of anticipation, the 2026 FIFA World Cup is tantalizingly close. Across host cities around the United States, fans are beginning to feel the energy building as leagues around the world wrap up their seasons and prepare for the summer ahead. One theme continues to unite soccer fans everywhere: this is only the beginning of a summer that could define the future of the sport in America.

With a World Cup that will feature some of the biggest names in the game, the attention of the “mainstream” American sports fan will temporarily shift toward soccer for a month. Whether it stays there afterword is the big question.

Americans have always been obsessed with superstars. From names like Shohei Ohtani, LeBron James, Steph Curry, and Patrick Mahomes, star power has always driven sports culture in the United States. Fans buy jerseys, wake up early to watch games, and pack arenas because of iconic athletes who transcend the sport itself.

Soccer is no different.

For decades, soccer struggled to establish itself in America compared to football, baseball, and basketball. To many Americans, the sport often felt foreign rather than part of the country’s sporting identity. While fans in the United States traditionally gravitated toward sports they created or perfected, soccer often needed a recognizable global face to pull casual fans into the game.

Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

That is where legends like Pelé, David Beckham, and Lionel Messi changed everything.

Pelé’s arrival at the New York Cosmos helped plant the first real seeds for professional soccer in the United States decades ago. Beckham’s stint with the LA Galaxy changed the global perception of MLS and made America feel like a realistic destination for elite talent. Messi’s arrival with Inter Miami CF — which wouldn’t have been possible without Beckham’s move to MLS — took the sport to another level entirely, turning MLS matches into must-watch events and creating a frenzy that reached far beyond traditional American soccer circles.

Now, with the World Cup approaching, the biggest question surrounding American soccer is no longer whether the sport can succeed here. That conversation is over. Stadiums are full, youth participation continues to rise, and global clubs continue targeting the United States as one of the most important markets in the world.

The new question is less broad: Can MLS and American soccer capitalize on the World Cup strongly enough to convince the next generation of global superstars to stay in the United States once Messi eventually retires?

Photo by Alejandro Ortiz/RDD Sports USA

At a La Liga El Clásico watch party in New York City, I had the opportunity to sit down with two legends of the game, Rivaldo and Fernando Morientes. Surrounded by fans wearing Barcelona and Real Madrid jerseys in a packed New York venue thousands of miles away from Spain, both legends immediately recognized the growth soccer has experienced in the United States.

“It’s going to be really important for the United States,” Rivaldo said. “Every year that passes, soccer is getting better. Surely it will be a huge World Cup. It is going to be important for the United States.”

Morientes echoed similar thoughts while also pointing toward the influence some of the sport’s biggest stars have had on America’s soccer boom.

Photo by Alejandro Ortiz/RDD Sports USA

“Soccer has grown evidently in the last 20 years,” Morientes said. “I think that to celebrate the World Cup here, it will give it a spotlight on a global level. With players like Beckham, Messi, and big-name players, it has made soccer here become more relevant than in the past. There is still some work to do.”

That growth is impossible to ignore in cities like New York.

Thousands of fans gathered in Queens to celebrate one of the biggest rivalries in sports, El Clásico, proving soccer isn’t the niche sport that it once was in America. Fans packed bars early in the morning, sang club chants, and treated the match with an energy that’s normally reserved for high-stakes American sports events like the Super Bowl or NBA Finals.

This is no longer a sport sitting on the outside looking in.

The rise of soccer can be seen everywhere across the country. European giants continue selling out NFL stadiums during summer preseason tours. MLS attendance continues to grow. Young American players are leaving for Europe at younger ages and returning with stronger reputations. The United States men’s national team now features players starring for some of the biggest clubs in the world.

Most importantly, younger generations are growing up viewing soccer differently than previous generations did.

For many American kids today, soccer is not a foreign sport. It is their sport.

Photo by Alejandro Ortiz/RDD Sports USA

Perhaps the most important reminder of how far the game has come arrived when Rivaldo reflected on the player many consider the original architect of soccer’s popularity in America.

“Of course, I watched Pelé with the Cosmos when I was a kid,” Rivaldo said. “He’s done a lot for soccer here in the United States, and he played extremely well here.”

From Pelé to Beckham to Messi, every era of soccer in America has had a superstar capable of capturing the imagination of fans who may not have previously cared about the sport. Each generation helped push soccer deeper into the American mainstream.

Now comes the most important stage yet.

The blueprint is already there. MLS clubs continue building world-class training facilities and soccer-specific stadiums in hopes of attracting elite international talent. Owners are investing heavily in academies, infrastructure, and fan experiences. Cities across the country are preparing to host the world during the biggest sporting event on the planet.

Still, major questions remain.

Can MLS capitalize on the attention that the World Cup will bring with its current roster rules and spending regulations? Can the league continue attracting stars once Messi retires? Could players like Neymar, Robert Lewandowski, or Casemiro eventually view the United States as more than just a place to spend the final days of their careers?

The answers could shape the next generation of soccer in America.

Because the fever, crowds, and passion are already here.

The question now is just how far the sport can go once the world finally arrives on American soil.