Despite a high level of media coverage for the World Cup soccer tournament, three-fourths of Americans (78%) are not following the action very closely if at all. A Rasmussen Reports survey of 1,000 adults found that just 6% are following the tournament very closely.

The Super Bowl remains the biggest sport championship in terms of fan appeal. Thirty-five percent (35%) of Americans say it’s their favorite championship to watch. The World Series is the only other championship to reach double digits—12% of adults say it’s their favorite.

One-fourth of all Americans (25%) say they don’t want any sports championships.

Despite the general lack of interest in the World Cup by the US audience, the soccer tournament is more popular than the NBA basketball championship and the NHL’s Stanley Cup hockey title. Both of those events were being held at the same time as the World Cup.

Fourteen percent (14%) of Americans say they played soccer in an organized league at some point in their life.

Fifty-two percent (52%) of Americans believe there is a professional soccer league in the United States (and they’re right).

The survey was conducted before the U.S. soccer team was eliminated. However, few were surprised by the lack of success--just 5% of the nation’s adults thought it was very likely the U.S. team would win the tournament.


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Rasmussen Reports is an electronic publishing firm specializing in the collection, publication, and distribution of public opinion polling information.