New Jersey is the Number 1 State with the Highest Interest in Soccer

There aren’t many kids in New Jersey who haven’t played on a soccer team at one time or another. Soccer is usually the first sport a kid will play because it’s the easiest to learn.

My kids started playing when they were only four or five but didn’t play another organized sport for a few years after that. They all stuck with it through early high school before concentrating on other sports.

Maybe that’s one of the reasons that it's so popular. In fact, according to a recent study by the soccer experts at Soccer Expertise, New Jersey is the state with the highest interest in soccer. This may have something to do with the fact that we’re hosting the 2026 World Cup.

Soccer Expertise claims on their website that their “goal is pretty simple. We aim to boost your passion for the game and help you turn yourself into the next Messi or Ronaldo on the field. And if anything less, you are sure to become a soccer encyclopedia.”

According to their analysis of all states, they found that we in New Jersey search for information, ask questions, and are interested in soccer trivia significantly more than New York which landed in seventh place on the list.

New Jersey ranked first. The study reported that we showed our soccer interest in the U.S. with 1,878 searches per 100,000 people. It was supported by over 174,500 monthly searches among our 9.3 million residents.

California places second followed by Florida, Maryland, and Texas. West Virginia was at the bottom of the list at number fifty, following North Dakota and Arkansas respectively.

Whether we’re first or last on the list there is no denying that soccer is a well-loved sport throughout New Jersey and the country. It may not be the most popular spectator sport in America, but according to the experts, it increases its fan base significantly every year.

It was officially announced that the FIFA World Cup will be hosted by MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey in 2026. 

The United States last hosted the men's FIFA World Cup in 1994 with seven games played at the former stadium in the Meadowlands including a quarterfinal and semifinal match. 

“On behalf of the New York Football Giants and New York Jets, we are honored to be selected as an official venue for the 2026 FIFA World Cup,” said Ron VanDeVeen, president and CEO, MetLife Stadium in a press release. “We look forward to hosting the world’s largest sporting event and welcoming the teams and their fans from around the globe to MetLife Stadium.”

In addition to matches played at MetLife Stadium, the proposed training facilities are at Rutgers University, The Pingry School, Kean University, Red Bull Football Club Training Facility, and the New York City Football Club Training Facility.

Scroll below to see just a few of the reactions on Twitter for #NYNJ2026: