<p>The year 2022 was a smashing success for the <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/tv/2022-usmnt-tv-ratings-increased-4-compared-to-2014-20221219-WST-412820.html">USMNT’s TV ratings</a>. After all, they qualified for the World Cup and advanced to the Round of 16. But their attendance did not benefit the same way. In fact, the 2022 USMNT attendance was their lowest since 2006.</p>



<p>Here’s how the crowds break down. </p>



<figure class="wp-block-table"><table><tbody><tr><td><strong>Date</strong></td><td><strong>Competition</strong></td><td><strong>Match-Up</strong></td><td><strong>Stadium</strong></td><td><strong>Attendance</strong></td></tr><tr><td>January 27</td><td>World Cup Qualifying</td><td>USA vs. El Salvador</td><td>Lower.com Field</td><td>20,000</td></tr><tr><td>February 2</td><td>World Cup Qualifying</td><td>USA vs. Honduras</td><td>Allianz Field</td><td>19,202</td></tr><tr><td>March 27</td><td>World Cup Qualifying</td><td>USA vs. Panama</td><td>Exploria Stadium</td><td>25,022</td></tr><tr><td>June 1</td><td>Friendly</td><td>USA vs. Morocco</td><td>TQL Stadium</td><td>24,002</td></tr><tr><td>June 5</td><td>Friendly</td><td>USA vs. Uruguay</td><td>Children’s Mercy Park</td><td>19,569</td></tr><tr><td>June 10</td><td>Nations League</td><td>USA vs. Grenada</td><td>Q2 Stadium</td><td>20,500</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>



<h5>Worst attendance since 2006</h5>



<p>In 2022, the USMNT totaled 128,295 fans over the course of six games. That averages out to 21,383 fans per game. No average attendance for the USMNT has been that low since 2006 when they totaled 162,876 over the course of eight home games for an average of 20,360. </p>



<p>This does exclude the COVID year of 2020, when they averaged 5,836 per game. The US played a total of four games that year, only two of which were at home: Costa Rica in February and then El Salvador in December (which was played with capacity restrictions in place).</p>



<h5>Declining attendance not a new trend</h5>



<p>2022’s average of 21,383 per game is a drop of 15% from 2021. That year, over the course of 15 home games, the United States averaged 25,155 fans per game. It was also the seventh-straight year with an average attendance of under 30,000. And it is the eleventh-straight year with an average attendance of under 40,000. </p>



<p>But, low attendance is not surprising when considering that US Soccer has bragged about <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/u-s-soccers-decision-to-play-usmnt-in-smaller-stadiums-is-short-sighted-20210901-CMS-344003.html">playing games in smaller stadiums</a>. This artificially increases demand. Thus, it allowed US Soccer to charge outrageous prices for tickets to games.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><div><figure class="image"><img loading="lazy" width="1200" height="675" src="https://media.worldsoccertalk.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2023/01/16070106/USMNT-attendance-1-1200x675-1200x675.webp" alt="" class="wp-image-414164" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px"></figure></div><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>



<p>This was especially true in 2022. All six games played occurred in soccer-specific stadiums with a capacity of under 27,000 people. And while playing in small stadiums is a surefire way to limit attendance, that number gets even lower when some of those stadiums fail to sell out. Such was the case with the Panama game in Orlando and the <a href="https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/christian-pulisic-bemoans-cincinnati-crowd-in-usmnt-s-win-over-morocco" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Morocco game in Cincinnati.</a></p>



<h5>How to boost attendance</h5>



<p>Now, it is worth noting that the US typically sees an attendance bump the year after the World Cup. Attendance in 2007 jumped 59% from the year before of 20,360 up to 32,282.  Then, there was a 13% increase from 2010’s 35,676 to 40,314 in 2011. And, in 2015 the average was 38,764, an increase of 13% over 34,374 in 2014.</p>



<p>For that jump to happen in 2023, however, US Soccer must stop playing in the same few venues over and over again. For example, the game in January against El Salvador was played a Lower.com Field in Columbus just three months after the last appearance there. The friendly against Morocco at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati was played in June 2022. That stadium hosted a US-Mexico World Cup Qualifier the previous November. To top it off, Q2 Stadium in Austin hosted its third competitive USMNT fixture in the stretch of eleven months when they played Grenada in the Nations League. </p>



<p>They aren’t off to a great start with that in 2023 as the two January camp games are both being played in the Los Angeles area: first against Serbia on January 25 at Banc of California Stadium, and then against Colombia at Dignity Health Sports Park on January 28.</p>



<p>With the World Cup coming to the US in 2026 the best way to boost the USMNT attendance and profile of the team would be for US Soccer to adopt a traveling roadshow mentality and <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/2022/04/30/usmnt-top-20-overlooked-cities/">take the team to as many new and different places as possible</a>. There’s no better way to grow the attendance for the team than to bring tons of new fans on board who haven’t ever been able to see them play in-person before. </p>



<p><em>PHOTO: IMAGO / ZUMA Wire</em></p>


USMNT attendance in 2022 worst since 2006

Despite qualifying for the World Cup for the first time since 2014, the 2022 USMNT attendance was the worst average since 2006

USMNT attendance in 2022 worst since 2006 - World Soccer Talk

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<p>The <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/nations/usmnt-tv-schedule/">USMNT </a>suffered attendance drops in consecutive cycles. From 2010 to 2014, the United States averaged attendance of 36,697. Now, from 2018 to 2022, the average attendance is 23,029.</p>



<p>The reason for the four-year cycles, such as 2010 to 2014 or 2018 to 2022, stems from the World Cup. Of course, the United States failed to qualify for the World Cup in 2018. It starts to make sense in that case. The dip in form and success from the USMNT led to fewer people in attendance. However, it is not so clear-cut.</p>



<p>For years, attendance is one of the key metrics used in gauging the popularity of the United States Men’s National Team. In that regard, this downward trend is a bad thing. In fact, the USMNT failed to average attendance figures above 30,000 fans per game since 2015.</p>



<p>US Soccer itself is among the culprits for the lower attendance numbers.</p>



<h5>Prioritizing smaller stadiums</h5>



<p>In October 2021, the United States was in the midst of CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying. Much of the frustration among fans was that games happened at relatively small, soccer-specific venues. Lower.com Field in Columbus, Q2 Stadium in Austin, Allianz in Minnesota, TQL Stadium in Cincinnati and Orlando City’s Exploria Stadium. Each of these has a maximum capacity less than 26,000. </p>



<p>Yet, this is <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/u-s-soccers-decision-to-play-usmnt-in-smaller-stadiums-is-short-sighted-20210901-CMS-344003.html">by design for revenues</a> going towards US Soccer. From 2010 to 2018, average attendance at World Cup Qualifying hovered around 21,500. In the 2018 World Cup Qualifying Cycle, the average ticket cost was $97.06. Eight years earlier, the average ticket was $48.08, less than half of 2018. Despite playing one additional game in the 2010 cycle, total revenue increased by over $8 million in ticket sales. </p>



<p>Compare this to 2002, when the average attendance at games was 31,158, a whole 10,000 more than number of late, ticket prices were just $28.05 on average. Total revenue remained over $10 million less than in 2018’s cycle.</p>



<p>Limits on availability and stringent pricing could force people out. </p>



<p>Regardless, here are the attendance figures for the USMNT from 2018 through the present.</p>



<h2>USMNT Attendance: 2018-2022</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-table is-style-stripes"><table><tbody><tr><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center"><strong>Competition</strong></td><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center"><strong>No. of games</strong></td><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center"><strong>Total Attendance</strong></td><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center"><strong>Average attendance</strong></td></tr><tr><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">2018 Friendlies</td><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">7</td><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">169,141</td><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">24,613</td></tr><tr><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">2019 Friendlies</td><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">8</td><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">168,430</td><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">21,054</td></tr><tr><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">2019 Gold Cup</td><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">6</td><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">177,575</td><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">29,596</td></tr><tr><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">2019/20 Nations League</td><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">4</td><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">98,986</td><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">24,746</td></tr><tr><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">2020/21 Friendlies</td><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">5</td><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">45,226</td><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">9,046</td></tr><tr><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">2021 Gold Cup</td><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">6</td><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">161,974</td><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">16,996</td></tr><tr><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">World Cup Qualifying</td><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">6</td><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">173,917</td><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">28,987</td></tr><tr><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">2022 Friendlies</td><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">2</td><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">43,591</td><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">21,796</td></tr><tr><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">2022 Nations League</td><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">1</td><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">20,500</td><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">20,500</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>



<p></p>



<p></p>



<p>In total the average attendance for the USMNT over this cycle is 23,029. This figure represents a drop of 29% from 2014 to 2017. Comparing this most recent cycle to 2010 to 2014, attendance numbers are down a staggering 37%. In that time, the USMNT averaged 36,697 at home games.</p>



<p>That steep of a drop may be surprising. The success of the side in winning the Gold Cup and Nations League, both on home soil, combined with World Cup qualification should warrant more people in attendance. Success breeds popularity.</p>



<p>However, there are several factors worth considering when it comes to the drops in attendance. That includes the aforementioned attempts by US Soccer to put significant games in soccer-specific, and lower capacity, stadiums.</p>



<h5>Explaining the lower attendance numbers</h5>



<p>First and foremost, the USMNT failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup. Therefore, the games in early 2018 to serve as a send-off series had sparse crowds. All three friendlies before the 2018 World Cup (Jan. 28 vs. BIH, March 27 vs. PAR, May 28 vs. BOL) failed to crack 12,000 fans. Missing the World Cup had an effect on fans. Perhaps many used the power of their wallet to show disapproval towards the USMNT even after the World Cup passed.</p>



<p>Second, the COVID-19 pandemic that began in 2020 had lasting effects through 2021.&nbsp;It shut sports around the world down for months. Even once live attendance returned, stadiums had limits on seating capacity. Limited seating capacity had a small effect on a pair of home friendlies (Dec. 2020 against El Salvador and Jan. 2021 against Trinidad &amp; Tobago). This reared its head more in the Nations League. However, the competition’s semifinals and final in Denver pulled in decent crowds welcoming Honduras and Mexico. Those games pulled 34,000 and 37,000, respectively. </p>



<p>Experience teaches how games against Mexico, particularly cup finals, fill stadiums to the brim. Gold Cup Finals in 2019, 2011, 2009 and 2007 illustrate that much.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Perhaps the 2022 World Cup can have an impact on the attendance in the United States. Or, US Soccer can repeatedly put major US Soccer games in soccer-specific stadiums.</p>



<p>Additional reporting by Kyle Fansler.</p>



<p><em>PHOTO: IMAGO / </em>Icon Sportswire</p>


USMNT attendance down 37% from a decade ago

USMNT attendance is down over the last cycle of fixtures. Despite success, is this a planned consequence for US Soccer?

USMNT attendance down 37% from a decade ago - World Soccer Talk

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