(foto: Getty Images)
Low attendance at the USA’s third-place Nations League match raises doubts about American football fandom, with Lionel Messi’s presence proving to be a major factor in drawing crowds.
A question that won’t go away: does the United States really love football, or is the obsession limited to just one man—Lionel Messi?
The CONCACAF Nations League third-place match between the USA and their fierce rivals Canada was expected to draw a decent crowd. It didn’t. Despite the national team featuring its most talented generation ever and facing a historical rival, the empty stands told a different story.
In stark contrast to the Messi-mania sweeping across Inter Miami fixtures, where tickets sell out and fans flood stadiums just to catch a glimpse of the Argentine legend, the match in California’s SoFi Stadium was met with near apathy. Numerous empty seats and a lack of atmosphere made headlines—despite this being a home fixture for the 2026 World Cup hosts.
It raises an uncomfortable truth: is the USA’s football boom genuine, or is it simply riding on Messi's global appeal? The fact that some American fans demand refunds when Messi doesn’t play adds fuel to this ongoing debate.
While it’s likely the World Cup will bring out the crowds in 2026, this Nations League episode showed how fragile the foundation of American football fandom still is when the biggest global icons aren't involved.