Soccer’s rise in the United States has reached another milestone. According to a recent survey from The Economist, the sport has overtaken baseball to become the country’s third-most popular sport, trailing only American football and basketball - a shift driven in part by the continued growth of Major League Soccer.Soccer has reached a new benchmark in the United States. Per The Economist, 10 percent of Americans now identify soccer as their favorite sport, edging it narrowly ahead of baseball, long considered the country's pastime. Only American football and basketball rank higher in overall popularity.American football remains the most popular sport in the United States, with 37 percent of the population naming it as their favorite, while basketball ranks second at 17 percent. Below soccer in the popularity rankings are baseball, hockey, MMA, and several other sports.The growth of the sport has been closely tied to the evolution of Major League Soccer. Founded in 1993 as part of the United States’ commitment to hosting the 1994 FIFA World Cup, MLS launched its first season in 1996 and has since expanded from 10 teams to 30 across the U.S. and Canada.That expansion, combined with the arrival of global stars and increased investment in infrastructure and youth development, has helped soccer establish itself as a major force in the North American sports landscape and an increasingly relevant league on the global stage.Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reportingMLS kicks off its 2026 campaign on Feb. 21, NWSL's new season starts on March 13, and the highly anticipated 2026 World Cup gets underway on June 11.