Youth Soccer’s Big Moment: Why Brands Should Get in the Game Ahead of World Cup 2026

Youth soccer is having a breakout moment in America. Participation is climbing, fields are bustling with kids of all backgrounds, and the sport’s cultural footprint is expanding fast. With the 2026 World Cup coming to North America, this is more than a trend – it’s a once-in-a-generation opportunity for brand marketers.  Youth soccer in 2025 is more than a trend—it’s a strategic advantage. Learn how your brand can step onto the field (literally and figuratively) to drive real impact.

Youth soccer is surging and more inclusive than ever.

Outdoor soccer participation has grown steadily in the U.S., reaching over 14 million players in 2023. By nearly every measure, youth soccer is on the rise. The Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) reports that outdoor soccer participation jumped 8.1% year-over-year and has increased each year since 2018. Much of this growth is fueled by kids – the largest share of U.S. soccer players are under age 13. More girls are lacing up cleats than ever before, too. In fact, girls’ team sports participation climbed 9.5% in 2023, outpacing boys’ participation growth. Youth soccer is drawing record numbers of young female athletes, a sign of shifting attitudes and new role models inspiring them.

Families are deeply involved in this resurgence. Soccer is increasingly becoming a multi-generational family activity, with parents coaching, cheering, and organizing from the sidelines. In 2025, the soccer community that brands can reach is defined by family life: kids and parents, on-the-go schedules, weekend rituals, and shared experiences. This makes soccer a uniquely vibrant environment in the youth sports landscape.

Youth sports build culture, fandom and lifelong loyalty.

For those looking at the long game, youth sports aren’t just about the season – they’re about shaping future consumers and fans. When kids play a sport, it often becomes a lifelong passion. Soccer is a perfect example: roughly 75% of all soccer fans have played the game at some point in their lives, and 42% are still playing in adulthood. In other words, today’s pee-wee and travel league players are tomorrow’s season-ticket holders, sports viewers, and athletic apparel shoppers. Their early experiences on the field create a natural brand affinity for the sport and everything around it. Smart marketers recognize that brand loyalty starts young – if you engage a family through something they love when the kids are 8 or 12, you could be part of their story for decades.

Youth sports also carry enormous cultural relevance. They’re not just games; they’re formative life moments. Think of the personal growth and values kids gain – teamwork, resilience, confidence – and the cherished memories families build together on Saturday mornings. Supporting those moments can embed a brand into a family’s positive experiences. It’s telling that 94% of women in the C-suite played sports in their youth – the leadership and loyalty fostered on youth fields translate into influence later in life. For brands, being present in these early chapters can pay off in goodwill and trust long term.

World Cup 2026: a once in a generation marketing moment. 

If youth soccer’s trajectory is already skyrocketing, the 2026 World Cup is like rocket fuel on the fire. In summer 2026, the world’s biggest sporting event will take place across the U.S., Mexico and Canada – including matches in cities from Los Angeles to New York. It will be the largest tournament ever (48 teams playing 104 matches) and the first on U.S. soil since 1994. The anticipation is immense: brands are already jockeying for position, and analysts predict record sponsorship and advertising revenue around the tournament. With North America’s huge media market, millions of local fans will tune in, and global viewership will reach into the billions.

Crucially, the World Cup isn’t just a one-month spectacle; it’s a catalyst for the next generation. In 1994, the World Cup’s popularity helped give birth to new pro leagues and a surge in youth soccer participation in the U.S. Interest in youth leagues, camps, and community sports is set to accelerate as the next generation of athletes takes the field. For brands, this means the window to start building presence is right now – in the lead-up year – to ride the World Cup momentum.

From the field to the phone: an untapped local media ecosystem.

Despite soccer’s global scale, its growth in the U.S. is happening in a hyper-local way – on neighborhood fields, in school gyms, and through team smartphone apps. This grassroots ecosystem of youth sports is a media channel hiding in plain sight. Think about it: every weekend, parents, kids, and coaches gather at local soccer fields for hours. There’s no TV broadcast or pro jumbotron, but there is plenty of attention to go around. Families are fully engaged – cheering, chatting, sharing snacks – captive audiences in a positive frame of mind.

Beyond the field, the youth sports experience continues on our phones and laptops. Modern team management apps, like TeamSnap, have become indispensable tools for millions of teams. TeamSnap is a daily habit for busy parents – users log in for schedules, updates, and scores. Our app is essentially the social network for a team: coaches post announcements, families share photos, and everyone coordinates the next game, car pools, or snack duty. For brands, this represents an untapped digital channel tightly focused on the family sports audience.

The TeamSnap Platform is the #1 Youth Soccer app –we reach over 30 million families and support 4 million teams. With more than 1 billion annual media impressions, we offer full-funnel reach that spans both physical and digital touchpoints.

Our model is unique: brands can activate in-app, on the field, and in local communities—simultaneously. This hybrid of digital and real-world integration ensures consistent brand presence where families plan, play, and celebrate.

The results speak for themselves: in a recent campaign, e.l.f. beauty saw a +158% lift in favorability and a +325% increase in message recall. These are not just impressions—they’re emotional, memorable brand experiences.

What makes this local ecosystem so special is the combination of physical presence and digital touchpoints. A family might see a banner for a sponsor at the soccer park on Saturday, then see that same sponsor’s message on their TeamSnap app during the week. Rather than being intrusive, it feels native – the brand is part of the community’s fabric.

Brands are stepping onto the pitch (and winning fans).

Some forward-thinking brands have already recognized the opportunity within youth sports and are making moves to engage authentically. One headline grabbing example was e.l.f. Cosmetics’ partnership with the National Women’s Soccer League. In 2023, e.l.f. became the NWSL’s first-ever beauty sponsor. Why would a beauty brand team up with women’s soccer? Because e.l.f. saw the same trends we’ve discussed – a surge in girls’ and women’s participation and a family-centered fan base – and they wanted to champion it.

Another example comes from GoHealth Urgent Care, which focused on building long-term trust by supporting families where it counts—on the field and in their everyday routines. By sponsoring local soccer leagues over eight consecutive seasons, GoHealth created consistent value through jersey branding, field signage, and digital media inside the TeamSnap app. The impact was meaningful: families responded with a +52% lift in favorability, a +145% boost in unaided brand recall, and a +20% increase in likelihood to choose GoHealth. This kind of sustained, purpose-driven presence shows how brands can deepen loyalty by being part of the communities they serve.

Playing it right: how brands win with purpose in youth sports
If there’s one rule in youth sports, it’s this: families can spot authenticity a mile away. They know when a brand is showing up to genuinely support their community—and when it’s just here for a photo op. That’s why the brands that succeed in this space lead with purpose. They invest in ways that feel meaningful, helpful, and lasting.

Authentic activation doesn’t mean flashy—it means thoughtful. It’s signage that blends in because it belongs. It’s digital messages that show up in the apps families already use every day. It’s showing up with consistency, not just for a season, but across years. It’s sponsorships that fund new uniforms, not just ad placements.

Here’s what that looks like:

• Support, don’t interrupt. Add to the experience—don’t distract from it.
• Stay consistent. Trust builds over time, not in one-off campaigns.
• Align with what families value. Think community, resilience, and belonging.
• Show up where it counts. In the app. On the field. With purpose.

When brands get this right, the impact is real. Kids feel seen. Parents feel supported. Communities grow stronger. And brands earn something traditional ads can’t always buy: trust.

World Cup 2026 is coming – is your brand ready to play? By embracing youth soccer now, you’re not only capitalizing on a current surge in participation; you’re investing in a cultural movement that’s set to explode on the world stage.

Ready to take the next step? Learn more about how TeamSnap for Brands can help your company join the action by downloading our media kit or feel free to contact us to schedule a meeting.