Club World Cup draws soccer fans from around the world to U.S. a year before the FIFA World Cup

Soccer's Growing Popularity in the US - Soccer's popularity is increasing in the US, attracting fans to NFL-sized venues [3] - The revamped Club World Cup on US soil serves as a dress rehearsal for the World Cup [2] - Enthusiasm for soccer is rising, evidenced by crowds at places like Legends Bar and the Football Factory in Midtown Manhattan [2] Fan Demographics - The current soccer fan base is a mixture, with many young Americans in their early 20s having a team [3] - In the 90s, approximately 95-99% of soccer fans were expats, but now it's more diverse [3] Event Statistics - FIFA reported over 2 million in attendance across stadiums through the semi-final games [4] Challenges - The events faced challenges, including excessive summer heat and dynamic ticket pricing fluctuations [4]