The World Cup seems to have shaken off some of the controversy over working conditions in Qatar and human rights as viewership is up, especially in the United States.
About 3 in 5 U.S. soccer fans (58 percent) plan to watch this year's World Cup final on Sunday, according to a Morning Consult survey conducted last month. That's up from the 48 percent who said they watched in 2014, and the 45 percent who reported watching in 2018.
In terms of U.S. viewership, the Super Bowl, Olympics, baseball World Series, and more are still more popular. Among all U.S. adults in the Morning Consult survey, 45 percent said they were "very likely" to watch the Super Bowl, compared to 13 percent for the World Cup final. Yet with the next World Cup in North America in 2026, it seems possible interest will grow.
