Every few months, someone says soccer is finally having “its moment” in the U.S. As if it just got off the plane yesterday with a green card and a pair of cleats.
But here’s the thing: soccer didn’t just show up. It’s been grinding behind the scenes for years. Building stadiums, filling youth leagues, earning air time. And now, with the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup coming to American soil and the 2026 World Cup not far behind, it’s starting to look less like an underdog story and more like a full-blown takeover.
And yeah, betting has played its part in all this. We’ll get there.
From Side Hustle to Center Stage
For decades, Major League Soccer was treated like the opening act nobody showed up for. It wasn’t flashy, it wasn’t global, it wasn’t even respected by some of its own fans. But that’s changed slowly at first – then all at once.
More clubs are investing in talent. More fans are tuning in. And more kids are growing up thinking soccer’s not just an option, it’s the option.
Then Messi Showed Up
When the GOAT signs with Inter Miami, people notice. His arrival in 2023 didn’t just sell out stadiums, it flipped the script. Suddenly, MLS wasn’t just where players went to retire. It was where you could still be great. Since then, big names kept rolling in. Luis Suárez, Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba – they didn’t just boost ticket sales, they gave the league some swagger. Suddenly, MLS games started feeling like events, not just fixtures.
But while the spotlight chased the superstars, something else was building just beneath it: athletes, born and raised on American soil, were making their mark. No fanfare, no flash. Just solid, smart, fearless football.
- Tyler Adams is the captain – and the heartbeat – of the U.S. Men’s National Team – sharp, steady, fearless.
- Antonee Robinson, holding it down at Fulham, is redefining what U.S. full-backs look like in the Premier League.
- Miles Robinson has become the kind of defender every team wants and every striker hates.
These players, and plenty more coming up through MLS academies, aren’t just good. They’re game-changers. And they’re bringing new energy to a sport that’s finally listening.
More Than Just Watching the Game
Here’s where it gets interesting. As soccer’s popularity grows, so does the way people engage with it. And in the U.S., that now includes sports betting.
With more than 30 states offering legal online betting as of mid-2025, fans are doing more than just watching. They’re betting on first goals, corners, total goals, player performance, you name it. It’s added a layer of intensity to even the most low-stakes match. Suddenly, a Tuesday night MLS game isn’t just background noise: it’s potential profit.
And while NFL and NBA still dominate the books, soccer’s footprint is expanding fast. Globally, operators like Betway have been offering deep football markets for years. In the U.S., sportsbooks are just catching up to what the rest of the world already knew: football (yes, that kind) is worth betting on.
This Isn’t Just a Trend: It’s Also a Transition
It’s easy to call this a moment, but it’s more than that. It’s the payoff from years of patient growth: from community leagues to college programs to packed MLS stadiums and youth players getting scouted at 15. The infrastructure is here, and the culture is catching up.
The Club World Cup is unfolding in the U.S. as we speak. The World Cup follows next year. Between now and then, soccer will take up more space in the conversation. The games will get better, the crowds louder, and the stakes a bit more personal.