The US fans that are heavily invested in the US/Mexico rivalry may want to avert their eyes. When it comes to soccer in the US, Mexico is ironically America’s team. This isn’t particularly groundbreaking news, though. Mexico attendance at games in the US has long dwarfed both the USMNT and USWNT. This past year was no different.
Here’s how Mexico attendance breaks down for games in the US.
| Date | Competition | Match-Up | Stadium | Attendance |
| April 27 | Friendly | Mexico vs. Guatemala | Camping World Stadium | 37,311 |
| May 28 | Friendly | Mexico vs. Nigeria | AT&T Stadium | 56,872 |
| June 2 | Friendly | Mexico vs. Uruguay | State Farm Stadium | 57,735 |
| June 5 | Friendly | Mexico vs. Ecuador | Soldier Field | 61,104 |
| August 31 | Friendly | Mexico vs. Paraguay | Mercedes-Benz Stadium | 51,387 |
| September 24 | Friendly | Mexico vs. Peru | Rose Bowl | 62,729 |
| September 27 | Friendly | Mexico vs. Colombia | Levi’s Stadium | 67,311 |
Mexico attendance in US up from 2021
In 2022, El Tri’s attendance in the US was a total of 394,449 people over the course of seven games, which averages out to 56,350 fans per game. That is a jump of 28% over 2021 when they averaged 44,213 over 15 games. However, it is a slight drop from the previous World Cup year. They averaged 59,678 fans per game through six games in the US in 2018 making 2022 a drop of 6%
Far higher attendance than USMNT and USWNT
Given the huge numbers of people from Mexico who live in the US, it’s not a surprise that the Mexican national team draws big crowds. But it is somewhat surprising that those crowds continue to dwarf US national team crowds despite the time and resources poured into the game here.
Mexico’s attendance in 2022 was a staggering 164% higher than that of the USMNT this year. And, even more shocking, it was a whopping 277% higher than the best USWNT attendance since 2019.
This isn’t a new development however. Here’s a look at the last 10 years of attendance for each of the three teams:
| Year | Mexico | USMNT | USWNT |
| 2022 | 56,350 | 21,383 | 14,967 |
| 2021 | 44,213 | 25,155 | 12,703 |
| 2020 | N/A | 5,836 | 14,559 |
| 2019 | 57,546 | 23,306 | 25,122 |
| 2018 | 59,678 | 24,163 | 14,064 |
| 2017 | 43,586 | 29,400 | 18,150 |
| 2016 | 51,200 | 29,707 | 15,973 |
| 2015 | 64,141 | 38,764 | 27,766 |
| 2014 | 58,597 | 34,374 | 10,791 |
| 2013 | 44,321 | 33,803 | 16,479 |
Overall takeaway
So at the end of the day Mexico is the dominant soccer force in the US and it’s unlikely to change any time soon. The Gold Cup is this summer. This puts US games in half-filled soccer-specific stadiums. Meanwhile, Mexico games are in completely full NFL stadiums.
Perhaps the only thing that might change that is if Mexico plays fewer cash-grab friendlies in the US, which even Mexico goalkeeper Memo Ochoa spoke about following El Tri’s exit from the World Cup in Qatar.
The Mexicans do not currently have any games officially scheduled to be played in the US for 2022 (the USMNT has two and the USWNT has three). But history has shown that they draw very well and they figure to be back sooner rather than later.
PHOTO: IMAGO / ZUMA Wire
