What U.S. States and Countries Are Most Excited for 2026 FIFA World Cup?

By Jim Tomlin

Apr 16th, 2026 6:02 PM EDT

The World Cup trophy sits on a podium during December’s FIFA World Cup 2026 Final Draw (Amber Searls-Imagn Images)

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Excitement is building around the world for the 2026 World Cup – for hard-core supporters, soccer betting customers and casual fans alike.

But where are the most eager fans for the tournament, scheduled from June 11 to July 19? The answers for World Cup excitement might surprise you. Here is what we found based on Google Trend research; the methodology is below the graphic.

2026 FIFA World Cup

What Countries & U.S. States Are Most Excited for the 2026 World Cup?

Google Trends Search Interest Score · 30-day window as of April 13, 2026

Top Countries U.S. States

Score of 100 = peak search interest. All others scaled relative to the top.

1 Ireland

100

2 Jamaica

96

3 Ghana

92

4 Trinidad & Tobago

82

5 Zimbabwe

70

6 United Kingdom

64

7 Nepal

57

T8 Nigeria

55

T8 Bosnia & Herzegovina

55

10 Ethiopia

53

11 Canada

52

12 South Africa

51

13 Uganda

50

T14 Singapore

47

T14 Bangladesh

47

16 Kenya

45

17 Qatar

43

T18 United Arab Emirates

39

T18 Australia

39

20 United States

38

1 Wyoming

100

2 Kansas

52

3 Massachusetts

45

4 California

41

T5 New York

39

T5 New Jersey

39

7 Texas

36

T8 Rhode Island

32

T8 Maryland

32

T8 Washington

32

T11 Georgia

30

T11 Illinois

30

T11 Connecticut

30

T14 Florida

28

T14 Virginia

28

16 Nevada

25

T17 Colorado

24

T17 Missouri

24

T17 Utah

24

T17 Pennsylvania

24

Source: Google Trends · 30-day search interest as of April 13, 2026 · Score of 100 = peak search volume

Methodology: Bookies.com used Google Trends data over a 30-day span (ending April 13, 2026) to find the top 20 countries and U.S. states that are most excited about the 2026 World Cup, which is hosted by the USA, Canada and Mexico. We based these rankings on the highest “Search Interest Score” according to Google Trends. The maximum score is 100 and is based on how frequently that subject is being searched in each area compared to total search volume.

Also see: 2026 FIFA World Cup: U.S. Host City Day Trip Cost Index

Which Countries Are Most Excited for the World Cup?

A country often regarded as more of a hotbed for Gaelic football, rugby and hurling topped our list for search volume around soccer’s biggest quadrennial event.

The Republic of Ireland scored 100 points, leading perhaps an unlikely list of nations most enthused for the 2026 World Cup. In UEFA qualifying, Ireland was second in Group F behind Portugal, eliminating Hungary with a dramatic last-day win in Budapest to stay alive. But ROI lost at Czechia in the European playoff semifinals, falling short in their bid to qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 2002.

This also illustrates an interesting trend: Four of the top five nations on our list did not qualify for the 2026 World Cup. Jamaica (second with 96 points), Trinidad & Tobago and Zimbabwe also have plenty of folks searching for World Cup topics even though their national teams will take the summer off.

In fact, seven nations that have never qualified for a World Cup pop up in our top 20 of Google Trends research for World Cup excitement: Zimbabwe, Nepal, Ethiopia, Uganda, Singapore, Bangladesh and Kenya.

The global game, indeed.

UK Excitement For The 2026 World Cup

For our research purposes, the United Kingdom was collected as one entity, though there are separate national teams for England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales. At DraftKings Sportsbook, England has +650 odds to win the 2026 World Cup as of April 16, third on the operator’s board behind Spain (+500) and France (+550). Scotland has +900 odds to win Group C, which also includes Brazil, Morocco and Haiti.

Sportsbook operators offering the best sports betting promo codes have futures odds and props on individual games, futures odds for the whole tournament, odds on individual honors and much more.

Which States Are Most Excited for the World Cup?

There are 16 cities hosting games at the 2026 World Cup including 11 metro areas in the USA. See our story Ranking the 2026 World Cup Host Cities by Best Atmosphere for more on this topic.

Again, there’s a surprise at the top: Wyoming, which has never had a team in a top-flight professional soccer league, is first for search interest with a max score of 100.

The next six states – Kansas, Massachusetts, California, New York, New Jersey and Texas – all are either hosting games or have metro areas where World Cup games will be staged just across the state border.

The U.S. Men’s National Team – shortened to USMNT in fan parlance – is in Group D with Paraguay, Australia and Turkiye. At Caesars Sportsbook, the USMNT is favored at +137 odds to win the group.

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