New York Citizens Most Excited for 2026 FIFA World Cup as U.S. Cities Dominate Rankings.
Visit Betway for the latest World Cup betting markets.
With the FIFA World Cup right around the corner, excitement is bubbling all across the globe and North America is no exception.
Host nations U.S.A, Canada and Mexico are showing signs of huge interest in the famous competition, leaving only a couple of questions – which cities are the most hyped for the World Cup? And where exactly will prove to be the heart of the party over the coming weeks?
With multiple cities boasting excited North American soccer fans mixed with a passionate diaspora cheering for other competing teams, the competition here was certainly steep but research revealed everything you need to know:
Key Findings
New York / New Jersey ranks first overall with 592,320 searches for “World Cup” from local users.
Atlanta and Philadelphia complete an all-American top three in the rankings.
Philadelphia generated the highest conversation volume of any U.S. host city with 66,000 local online mentions.
Five of the top eight ranked cities are located in the United States.
Monterrey recorded the highest positive sentiment score overall at 59%, suggesting residents there are the most optimistic and enthusiastic ahead of the tournament.
Los Angeles ranked fifth despite generating the second-highest search volume overall.
Top 10 Most Excited FIFA World Cup Host Cities
Rank | Host City | Searches | Conversations | Sentiment % | Score |
1 | New York / New Jersey | 592,320 | 61,000 | 36 | 96.82 |
2 | Atlanta | 106,970 | 56,000 | 38 | 58.73 |
3 | Philadelphia | 67,890 | 66,000 | 35 | 57.97 |
4 | Toronto | 294,400 | 24,000 | 40 | 54.11 |
5 | Los Angeles | 281,590 | 29,000 | 37 | 51.90 |
6 | Monterrey | 7,690 | 3,160 | 59 | 47.06 |
7 | Dallas | 104,090 | 860 | 51 | 40.41 |
8 | Miami | 79,670 | 10,000 | 47 | 38.62 |
9 | Houston | 181,160 | 11,000 | 37 | 31.53 |
10 | Mexico City | 45,420 | 21,000 | 39 | 31.09 |
New York Emerges as the Centre of World Cup Excitement
The data suggests no host city is more excited for the World Cup than New York / New Jersey.
Residents in the area generated more than 592,000 searches related to the “World Cup”, comfortably the highest total in the study, while also driving major online conversation volumes.
The findings reinforce the sense that New York will sit at the centre of the tournament narrative throughout the summer, with local anticipation already reaching huge levels before a ball has even been kicked.
Philadelphia and Atlanta Driving Huge Local Discussion
While New York dominated search interest, Philadelphia emerged as the most actively discussed U.S. host city online.
Residents generated 66,000 conversations surrounding the World Cup – the highest figure of any American city included in the rankings.
That level of engagement suggests excitement in Philadelphia goes beyond curiosity and is already becoming part of the city’s wider cultural conversation ahead of the tournament.
Atlanta also ranked strongly across every category to finish second overall, underlining how engaged local residents already are with the World Cup coming to the city.
Monterrey Residents Most Positive Ahead of Tournament
Although Monterrey placed sixth overall, the Mexican city topped the rankings for positive sentiment.
A huge 59% of local conversations around the World Cup carried a positive tone, comfortably the highest figure recorded by any host city.
The findings suggest residents in Monterrey are among the most enthusiastic and emotionally invested supporters ahead of the tournament, reflecting the city’s deep football culture and passion for the sport.
Los Angeles Searches Surge Ahead of Kickoff
Despite ranking fifth overall, Los Angeles recorded the second-highest search volume in the entire study at 281,590.
The figures suggest awareness and anticipation across the city are already enormous, although lower sentiment and conversation levels prevented Los Angeles from climbing higher in the final standings.
Elsewhere, Dallas, Miami and Houston all secured top ten finishes, further highlighting the scale of excitement building across the United States.
At the opposite end of the rankings, Kansas City recorded the lowest overall score, suggesting local excitement there has yet to fully reach the levels seen in other host cities.
With the 2026 FIFA World Cup now rapidly approaching, the data paints a clear picture – host cities across North America are already embracing the tournament, but few are doing so with the same intensity as New York.
Stay ahead of the game with the Betway Sports app for live betting, real-time updates, and exclusive offers!
Methodology:
Data was gathered using Brandwatch to measure online conversation volumes and sentiment scores relating to the term “World Cup” across all 16 FIFA World Cup 2026 host cities.
Location settings were individually adjusted to each city in order to measure conversations and sentiment originating specifically from users within those locations.
Sentiment, search and conversation figures were weighted and combined to calculate a final score out of 100.
