How the World Cup made an ‘NFL-obsessed’ American a football fan

The well-documented shenanigans of Scotland’s “Tartan Army” football fans in Boston was what first drew Indiana car salesman Jamie Druley to the World Cup – and now the sport has him fully hooked.

“I thought, you know what? I’m going to watch some of this World Cup and see what made these people travel, in many cases, thousands of miles, and spending thousands of dollars… to be here to support their nation in this worldwide competition,” father-of-three Druley, 51, told the BBC.

Before long, his wife was texting him from the bedroom with instructions to quieten down as he screamed at the television in the living room.

When things were slow at work, he and colleagues put on matches in the showroom; the England semi-final against Argentina became “heated” with banter and yelling, he says – ending with a bet between Druley and his boss for Sunday’s final.

The self-described “NFL-obsessed” Druley is even considering buying season tickets to his new local football club, Fort Wayne FC, which opened a 9,200-seat home stadium this year.

And he’s not alone in this newfound passion – with countless Americans proclaiming themselves avid new football fans thanks to the United States co-hosting the 2026 tournament.

Fox reported that 30 million viewers watched its broadcast of the USA’s loss to Belgium, which Fox said made it the most-watched English-language soccer broadcast in US history.

An average of 5.1 million US viewers tuned in across 72 matches on Fox, FS1 and Tubi, marking a 92% increase from the 2022 World Cup, according to Nielsen Media Research.

Pennsylvania mother Courtney Silbaugh, 33, was among those fans.

“I’ve watched every game, except for six games,” said Silbaugh, who describes herself as “not a sports spectator at all”.

“I tried to watch [American] football; it didn’t work,” she said. “I went to a couple of baseball games, but I don’t have the best vision so it’s hard to see the ball. I just couldn’t comprehend most of it.”

But now she is “obsessed” and said her favourite sport is “definitely soccer”. “I’m understanding the game more while watching the World Cup… versus watching recreational leagues”.