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11/28 11:46 CST US Soccer has bold plans for the World Cup legacy
US Soccer has bold plans for the World Cup legacy
By ANNE M. PETERSON
AP Soccer Writer
The last time the United States hosted the World Cup, the U.S. Soccer
Federation built on the the financial infusion and the public's excitement to
help launch Major League Soccer two years later.
Much has changed with the 2026 World Cup. This time the tournament is hosted by
three nations, with the United States joined by Mexico and Canada. And the
financial windfall will go to FIFA, which is running the tournament for the
first time rather than a local organizing committee, such as the one in 1994
that used its $40 million surplus to fund the U.S. Soccer Foundation.
So what will the World Cup's legacy be for U.S. soccer's governing body? The
not-for-profit is undertaking ambitious and sprawling projects to boost the
game from the youth ranks to the pros.
U.S. Soccer's ultimate aim is to spread the sport at the youth level through
school and community programs, expand fundraising efforts and position the U.S.
professional leagues and national teams for future success.
It's a tall order, CEO JT Batson admits.
"We already have this massive engine that is people who love soccer in this
country, and the infrastructure of our professional leagues and clubs, and all
the youth soccer across the country. That's a really powerful group that if
organized and supported, can do some pretty incredible things," he said.
Soccer Forward, the federation's legacy project announced last year, has
started to roll out. With the motto "Soccer Everywhere for Everyone," it sells
schools on expanded soccer programs, brings mini-fields into communities where
soccer doesn't have a big footprint, and supports community-led efforts to grow
the game at a grassroots level. It includes everything from best practices for
fundraising, to securing grants for building soccer fields, to tips for youth
coaches.
U.S. Soccer says such initiatives are sorely needed: One in four schools have
no sports programs.
But it goes beyond just the game, with elements of health and charity. In
October, the Kansas City Current partnered with Soccer Forward for an event at
the Kansas City Girls Preparatory Academy. More than 100 girls took part in
small-sided soccer games and programming focused on women's health. The girls
also packaged hygiene kits for women in need.
An emphasis on equity in the sport was aided by a $25 million donation from
Michele Kang, owner of the NWSL's Washington Spirit, as well as Lyon and the
London City Lionesses in Europe. The money will be used to grow the women's
game through research and innovation projects.
Batson said the goal is to ensure that "everyone who wants to play soccer can
play, and that we have the right resources going to the right levels of the
game to achieve the right resources."
That means there's an opportunity not just to benefit the kids who want to play
recreationally, but to also bring future players into the game who may go on to
academies, colleges or professional soccer careers.
"I think one of the big shifts for U.S. Soccer is sort of articulating
ourselves as being in service to soccer, and we take that very seriously around
our role of supporting those who are brining soccer to life in communities all
across the country," Batson said. "This is a huge flipping of how U.S. Soccer
sees itself and the role we play with our members and everyone else who loves
soccer, and (we) are trying to do things every day to earn the trust of those
folks to continue on that journey with us."
Former Deloitte executive Dan Helfrich, hired as the USSF's chief operating
officer this month, will help oversee In Service to Soccer, the federation's
overarching strategy.
"It is our responsibility to drive lasting legacy from hosting the World Cup,"
Helfrich said. "We take that responsibility very seriously and believe that we
will have national holistic impact that comes from this World Cup, not just
sporadic impact limited to a few communities or cities."
To achieve these lofty goals, U.S. Soccer needs funding. So the federation has
also launched the Behind the Dream campaign which aims to raise $250 million
--- and also hopes to capitalize on the excitement of the World Cup.
In many countries the government helps fund sports federations. For example,
the English Football Association gets funding from several government entities,
including Sport England. Sports federations in the United States are non-profit
organizations.
U.S. Soccer has put an emphasis on fundraising in the past two years. In 2023,
U.S. Soccer's expenses exceeded its revenues. That has since flipped.
U.S. Soccer took in $257.4 million in revenue for the 2025 fiscal year, a 36%
increase over 2024, in part because of fundraising and sponsorship deals in
anticipation of the World Cup.
"U.S. Soccer is in a fortunate position by virtue of our financial growth to be
able to invest in our soccer strategies at unimaginable levels, even five years
ago," Batson said. "And we also have been very intentional about learning from
other very successful movements to say `OK, how do we approach this in a way
that leads to the outcomes that we care about.'"
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