"In a maximum of 5 years, soccer will be the number one sport in the US," Infantino told Fox Sports. "MLS will certainly be a top league in the world. Why? Because I live here."

According to a 2025 S&P Global survey of 2,501 US adults, only 14% said they watch soccer, the seventh most popular sport. The top four were baseball, basketball, American football, and hockey, followed by the Summer and Winter Olympics.

Of those who watch soccer, 76% said they watch the World Cup and Olympic soccer. 50% watch international women's tournaments, and 55% watch MLS.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino speaks at the 49th UEFA Congress at the Sava Center in Belgrade, Serbia, on 3/4/2025. *Photo: Reuters*

In a 2024 Two Circles study of sports attendance, soccer ranked fourth in the US with 8% of the 292 million spectators. Baseball led with 35%, followed by basketball at 22% and American football at 20%. Hockey attracted 7% of spectators, and all other sports combined for the remaining 8%.

The 55-year-old Infantino, born in Switzerland but now living in Miami, Florida, has been FIFA president since February 2016, succeeding Sepp Blatter. He believes the US needs to eliminate its "pay-to-play" youth soccer system, a long-standing point of public contention.

Infantino cited the example of Wrexham AFC, which earned three consecutive promotions in three years to reach the EFL Championship. The club, owned by actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, is well-known in the US. "That's how great promotion and relegation is," Infantino said. "In soccer, unlike other sports, upsets can happen. A small team can absolutely beat a stronger one. In other sports, the strong teams have a 90% chance of winning. In soccer, it's only 70%."

Professional sports leagues in the US, including soccer, basketball, baseball, and American football, do not have promotion and relegation. However, this could soon change in soccer. MLS clubs will vote on whether to maintain the current system. In a 2016 Deloitte survey, 88% of second-division US teams favored promotion and relegation.

According to the Opta Power Rankings, MLS is ninth globally, behind leagues in England, Italy, Germany, Spain, France, Brazil, Portugal, and Belgium. However, at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, two of the three US representatives, Los Angeles FC and Seattle Sounders, lost their first two matches. Inter Miami, with stars like Sergio Busquets, Luis Suarez, and Lionel Messi, is expected to advance to the round of 16.

Hoang An (*Athletic*)