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After a COVID-19 hiatus, the biggest soccer crowds in the U.S. in 2021 returned to some normalcy.

Generally speaking, attendance is the principal metric to gauge the popularity of the sport in the country. However, we look beyond national teams to see how well the sport fits in. After all, the diversity and sheer size of the country warrants different crowds for different competitions. For instance, club competitions often happen in lavish and large NFL stadiums, so you will see that trend below.

In 2020, we lost the opportunity to view sporting events at full capacity. That is, of course, with the exception of a handful of games at the beginning of the year. Games in February or March went on before the world essentially shut down. In February, Nissan Stadium hosted 59,069 people in Nashville SC’s home debut against Atlanta United. March had two games exceed 40,000 spectators. The Seattle Sounders and Chicago Fire played in front of 40,126 at CenturyLink Field, now Lumen Field. Then, an immense 69,301 fans packed into Mercedes-Benz Stadium to watch Atlanta United take on FC Cincinnati.

That year is unforgettable, largely for unfortunate and, frankly, frustrating reasons. This past year provided a little more freedom in regards to stadium capacity. Therefore, competitions for club and country could welcome more fans more frequently.

Biggest soccer crowds in the US in 2021

Below is how well the soccer market in the U.S. turned around in 2021. These are all the games that exceeded 40,000 fans in both club and international competitions.

Certain trends exist on surface level, particularly involving a certain MLS team.

50,000 and up
Date Competition Matchup Stadium City Attendance
Jul. 29 Gold Cup Mexico vs. Canada NRG Stadium Houston, TX 70,304
June 12 Friendly Mexico vs. Honduras Mercedes-Benz Stadium Atlanta, GA 70,072
July 24 MLS Atlanta United vs. Columbus Crew Mercedes-Benz Stadium Atlanta, GA 67,507
August 15 MLS Atlanta United vs. LAFC Mercedes-Benz Stadium Atlanta, GA 67,503
July 24 Gold Cup Mexico vs. Honduras State Farm Stadium Phoenix, AZ 64,211
July 24 Gold Cup El Salvador vs. Qatar State Farm Stadium Phoenix, AZ 64,211
August 1 Gold Cup USA vs. Mexico Allegiant Stadium Las Vegas, NV 61,514
July 18 Gold Cup Mexico vs. El Salvador Cotton Bowl Dallas, TX 56,742
July 3 Friendly Mexico vs. Nigeria Los Angeles Coliseum Los Angeles, CA 53,258
40,000-50,000 fans
Date Competition Matchup Stadium City Attendance
July 18 Gold Cup Mexico vs. El Salvador Cotton Bowl Dallas, TX 45,792
August 29 MLS Seattle Sounders vs. Portland Timbers Lumen Field Seattle, WA 45,737
May 29 Friendly Mexico vs. Iceland AT&T Stadium Dallas, TX 44,892
October 30 MLS Atlanta United vs. Toronto FC Mercedes-Benz Stadium Atlanta, GA 43,372
September 5 World Cup Qualifying USA vs. Canada Nissan Stadium Nashville, TN 43,028
September 18 MLS Atlanta United vs. DC United Mercedes-Benz Stadium Atlanta, GA 42,608
June 27 MLS Atlanta United vs. New York Red Bulls Mercedes-Benz Stadium Atlanta, GA 42,575
October 27 MLS Atlanta United vs. Inter Miami Mercedes-Benz Stadium Atlanta, GA 42,536
June 20 MLS Atlanta United vs. Philadelphia Union Mercedes-Benz Stadium Atlanta, GA 42,523
September 29 MLS Atlanta United vs. Inter Miami Mercedes-Benz Stadium Atlanta, GA 42,519
July 17 MLS Atlanta United vs. New England Revolution Mercedes-Benz Stadium Atlanta, GA 42,517
October 20 MLS Atlanta United vs. New York City FC Mercedes-Benz Stadium Atlanta, GA 42,511
September 10 MLS Atlanta United vs. Orlando City Mercedes-Benz Stadium Atlanta, GA 42,507
August 28 MLS Atlanta United vs. Nashville SC Mercedes-Benz Stadium Atlanta, GA 42,506
August 18 MLS Atlanta United vs. Toronto FC Mercedes-Benz Stadium Atlanta, GA 42,502
September 16 MLS Atlanta United vs. FC Cincinnati Mercedes-Benz Stadium Atlanta, GA 42,501
July 25 Gold Cup USA vs. Jamaica AT&T Stadium Dallas, TX 41,318
July 25 Gold Cup Costa Rica vs. Canada AT&T Stadium Dallas, TX 41,318
July 10 Gold Cup Trinidad and Tobago AT&T Stadium Dallas, TX 41,229
May 29 MLS Atlanta United vs. Nashville SC Mercedes-Benz Stadium Atlanta, GA 40,748
May 15 MLS Atlanta United vs. CF Montreal Mercedes-Benz Stadium Atlanta, GA 40,116
Breaking it Down

Immediately, one of the more recognizable trends is the frequency in which Mexico appears on this list. The fact that the U.S. hosts the Gold Cup every two years surely helps that trend. Yet, it also speaks volumes for the popularity of the neighbors to the south in the United States. That being said, it is nice to see the USMNT crack the biggest crowds in the U.S. in 2021.

We expect the Americans to make the list against Mexico. But, the World Cup qualifier against Canada is the first time the USMNT attracted more than 40,000 since 2017. That game was the Gold Cup opener against Panama. Interestingly, that game also came in Nashville.

On the down-side, COVID travel restrictions did cause fans to miss out on some opportunities. The usual International Champions Cup frequently welcomes the likes of Manchester United, Liverpool, Real Madrid or Barcelona. That tournament did not take place. Thus, restrictions reduced the possibility for even more games with massive crowds.

However, plenty of MLS made the biggest soccer crowds in the U.S. in 2021. Once again, Atlanta United led that particular charge. In conclusion, Atlanta comfortably surpassed Seattle as the league’s biggest crowd draw.