Houston youth soccer eyes World Cup bump
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Photos: Mark Leech/Offside via Getty Images/Tim Warner - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images
Houston youth soccer clubs could see participation rise as the World Cup arrives in North America this summer, a club leader says.
Why it matters: More Americans are tuning into soccer ahead of the sport's most prestigious tournament, with hopes that this summer will spark the kind of breakthrough interest the 1994 World Cup did the last time it was played on American soil.
State of play: The FIFA World Cup kicks off June 11 and will be played across the United States, Mexico and Canada.
- Houston will host seven matches starting June 14 with Germany vs. Curaçao.
Driving the news: 37% of people anticipate their interest in soccer will increase over the next 18 months, according to Nielsen data.
Context: Soccer was still foreign to many Americans in 1994, the last time the United States hosted the World Cup.
- Houston and many cities nationwide now have men's and women's professional teams. Some fans have also started watching leagues from other countries.
- Youth participation has also increased alongside the sport's popularity.
By the numbers: Participation in the sport has increased.
- As of 2024-2025, more than 49,000 Texas high school students played soccer, per data from the National Federation of State High School Associations.
- That's a nearly 31% jump from a decade earlier.
What they're saying: "It's an exciting time to be around [soccer] right now with the World Cup coming up," Simon Boddison, director of soccer operations for HTX Soccer, tells Axios.
- "With that on a worldwide stage, that definitely helps our growth as a club and for these kids to get involved in the sport and enjoy it."
Zoom in: HTX Soccer — one of dozens of youth soccer clubs throughout the region — began operations in 2006 and has since grown to more than 8,500 players, Boddison says.
- Since it started, more than 800 club players went on to play in college and 17 have played professionally, per the club.
"The game of soccer in the United States is continually growing," Boddison says. "It's a sport that continues to advance on a yearly basis. There's [now] more opportunities out there."
Zoom out: The Houston Dynamo, a Major League Soccer team, and Dash, the women's professional team, offer youth soccer camps throughout the year.
- They also partner with youth clubs regionally to offer opportunities for players to attend matches for free at Shell Energy Stadium.