While the days of using soccer as a conservative punching bag—calling it “socialist” or a sign of the nation’s moral decay—have largely faded, right-leaning outlets still argue that the US “doesn’t care about soccer” or that the sport is “un-American.” In recent years soccer has become a flashpoint in American culture wars, with the US women’s national team in particular drawing ire from Donald Trump and elements of the MAGA movement over outspoken progressive players.
With the men’s World Cup co-hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico approaching, and Trump publicly promoting the tournament and cultivating ties with FIFA, the president faces a test: persuading his base to embrace a sport long associated in the US with younger, immigrant and generally more progressive fans.
Trump’s World Cup?
Most of Trump’s public push around soccer isn’t about tactical love of the game so much as political signaling. Experts say the event has taken on a political tone because of how closely FIFA appears to be aligning with the president. Trump’s intensifying relationship with FIFA president Gianni Infantino, and FIFA’s partnership with the president’s new “Board of Peace,” have helped make Trump a prominent face of a continent-spanning World Cup.
That closeness sits comfortably with some conservatives who see Trump’s embrace of popular entertainment—UFC, wrestling and reality TV—as consistent with his persona. “He’s always been a sports guy,” said Chris Vance, president of the UCLA Young Republicans, noting Trump’s longstanding ties to entertainment and sports businesses.
Evolving soccer culture
American soccer’s fanbase is younger and more immigrant-heavy than many other US sports, and that demography tends to skew progressive. Issues like anti-ICE protests have animated tensions between Major League Soccer fans and league officials since Trump’s reelection.
Ryan Shirah, a member of the American Outlaws supporters group who has attended more than 120 US men’s and women’s matches, says fans mostly avoid politics inside stadiums but that the broader fan culture is “humanistic” and leans toward progressive, human-rights-focused views. He recalled worries after Trump’s first election that anti-Mexican rhetoric could spill into the stands at a USA vs. Mexico World Cup qualifier, but said supporters worked to keep such behavior out of their sections.
Soccer’s growth in the US since hosting the 1994 World Cup, coupled with immigration driving much of the population expansion since the 1990s, has increased the sport’s reach. Many immigrants brought a passion for the “beautiful game,” and as soccer broadens beyond its initial base it’s likely to attract more politically diverse fans. The arrival of stars like Lionel Messi and the visibility the 2026 World Cup will bring could push soccer further into the American mainstream—and make it more appealing to conservative households.
Political scientist Jeffrey Kraus noted that soccer’s footprint is changing suburban landscapes: fields once full of baseball now host soccer matches. He pointed out that Staten Island, one of the most suburban and conservative New York boroughs and the only borough Trump won in 2024, now shows soccer’s penetration into traditionally conservative areas.
The next MAGA sporting sensation?
Some conservatives see potential in soccer’s community focus. Vance, who counts himself somewhat of an outlier among Republicans in following the sport, is excited the US will host World Cup matches in Los Angeles and sees soccer as “almost a conservative sport” in its community orientation.
Organized supporters groups tend to prioritize a welcoming matchday atmosphere over political tests of fellow fans. “We don’t care what you do or what podcasts you listen to after the 90 minutes,” Shirah said. “If you’re passionate about the team and not using slurs or anything, that’s fine. We all have walks of life, and I think that’s what makes America great.”
Still, a broader conservative embrace of soccer likely hinges on the US team’s performance. A deep, successful run in the World Cup would expose the sport to millions of new fans and make it easier for political outsiders to accept soccer as a mainstream American pastime. If that happens, existing supporters might soon face the opposite problem from today’s debates: managing the politics of incoming fans—something many current fans would rather have than fewer supporters overall.
Edited by: Jonathan Harding
