Millions of Americans still do not know that the 2026 FIFA World Cup is coming to the United States, according to a new survey released by ticketing platform SeatPick.
The survey, conducted among 1,000 American adults, found that nearly one in five people, or 19.3%, had no idea the tournament would be hosted in the US. Based on the country’s adult population, that could mean around 50 million Americans are unaware that one of the biggest sporting events in the world is arriving on home soil next summer.
The study also showed that many Americans are unfamiliar with the leadership of the U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team (USMNT) ahead of the tournament. According to the findings, 76.1% of respondents said they did not know who Mauricio Pochettino is. Only 12.6% correctly identified him as the current head coach of the USMNT.
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The numbers highlight the challenge facing soccer organizers as the United States prepares to host the FIFA World Cup alongside Canada and Mexico. While soccer has grown rapidly in popularity across America in recent years, the survey suggests awareness about the event is still surprisingly low in many parts of the country.
San Antonio ranked as the least aware city in the survey. Nearly 58.3% of respondents there said they did not know the World Cup was coming to the United States at all. Las Vegas came in second with 35.3%, while Indianapolis followed with 30.2%. Denver also recorded a high number at 29.6%.
The results stood out especially because Texas is expected to play a major role in the tournament. Both Houston and Dallas are official World Cup host cities and are expected to welcome fans from around the world. Still, the survey found that 19.1% of people in Dallas were unaware the tournament was even coming to the U.S.
Atlanta, another official host city, also appeared among the least aware cities. Around 20.3% of respondents there said they did not know the World Cup would be hosted in America.
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Even with the awareness gap, people who knew about the tournament generally felt excited about it. The survey found that 46.7% of respondents had positive feelings about the U.S. hosting the World Cup. That included 23.5% who said they felt “very positive” and 23.2% who described themselves as “somewhat positive.” Only 3.7% said they had negative feelings about the event.
Men appeared to be more excited about the tournament than women. According to the survey, 56.1% of men expressed positive feelings compared to 40.1% of women. Younger adults were also more enthusiastic. People between the ages of 25 and 44 showed the highest excitement levels about the event.
Older Americans were less engaged overall. Respondents aged 55 and above were the least enthusiastic group and were also the most likely to not know the World Cup was happening in the U.S.
The survey also revealed big differences between cities when it came to recognizing Pochettino as the USMNT coach. Dallas had the highest recognition level in the country, with 23.4% of respondents correctly identifying him. Boston followed with 18.9%, while Philadelphia and San Francisco were close behind.
At the bottom of the list were Denver, Indianapolis and Columbus, where only a small number of respondents correctly named Pochettino as the national team coach.
Some of the wrong answers in the survey added a humorous twist to the findings. According to SeatPick, some Americans guessed that Pochettino was a South American president, a former NFL quarterback, a Michelin-starred chef from Buenos Aires, or even “the bear” from an Argentinian children’s cartoon.
The results come as the U.S. prepares for what is expected to be one of the largest sporting events in modern history. The 2026 FIFA World Cup will bring millions of fans to North America and place global attention on the United States during the tournament. But the survey suggests organizers may still have work to do in making sure Americans know the World Cup is actually coming to their backyard.