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There has been more interest this summer among youths and older people, according to Arizona high school boys soccer coaches interviewed by The Arizona Republic, especially with the tournament taking place in the United States, Mexico and Canada.

The United States reached the round of 16, before losing to Belgium.

"I feel a groundswell is already happening around the country in many ways," Phoenix Brophy Prep coach Marc Kelly said. "There are plenty of stories of young and exciting U.S. players developing all throughout the major academies in Europe.

"The MLS continues to grow from the top to the bottom with excellent academies here in the U.S., that are harvesting talent, as well. So I think it’s really a matter of time."

Kelly thinks the United States will only get stronger on the world stage as more young players go through academies in this country.

"Personally, I think it’s OK to let the older players in this World Cup go into retirement, because, in four years, we’ll have a whole host of new guys with maybe a star or two developing," he said. "They may expand the field again, so we won’t have to worry as much about qualifying."

Soccer is among the most popular sports in the United States among elementary through high-school ages. According to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association, in 2025 there were 16.8 million outdoor participants among youth, a 15.8% increase over the previous year.

Buckeye Odyssey Institute boys soccer coach John Snyder said his players had keen interest in the World Cup games. But they also have great interest in the Premier League and other professional tournaments that are happening, he added.

"But what has really shocked me during this World Cup is that a longtime friend of mine suddenly became super interested in watching soccer," Snyder said. "This friend grew up playing high school and college football, and he has been a high school football coach for around 10 years.

"But I think he watched every World Cup game that the U.S. played in, as well as numerous other matches. He would constantly text me, asking questions about rules and calls and strategy. It was hilarious. This friend who never played a minute of soccer in his life was suddenly glued to the tournament. I loved it."

Snyder said he even texted him because his mother wanted to know if the U.S. had a chance against Belgium.

"Another time it was, 'Halland is a beast!' A month earlier, my friend probably had no clue who Erling Haaland even was." Haaland starred for Norway in the World Cup.

Mesa High boys coach T.J. Hagen said he isn't sure if the World Cup will fuel more interest in youth soccer, but he saw a lot of interest from the general public during the tournament.

"There’s already a high number of youth soccer players around the country, and I’m sure there will be even more interest in the coming months," Hagen said. "But I think I saw more excitement and interest from people who don’t normally watch or play soccer.

"We don’t have a lot of soccer shown on regular television in the United States and with many of the matches being fast paced and exciting, along with some of the more notable players like Erling Haaland from Norway; Vozinha, the goalkeeper from Cabo Verde; and, of course, (Argentina's) Lionel Messi and (Portugal's) Christiano Ronaldo, the country got swept up in World Cup fever."

Sunnyside coach Casey O'Brien said his players were glued to watching the World Cup.

"It has had a big impact," O'Brien said. "I think for our community, in particular, seeing games being played in Mexico and the U.S, has created a huge sense of pride for our players. I also think being reminded of the passion within the game of soccer has created more of a spark for the kids.

"They're extremely excited to represent their high school, as that would be our World Cup equivalent. Our kids were buzzing about everything all summer and they were always excited to talk about the players and the games."

O'Brien expects more young people will get involved in the game in the next few years.

"I also think we see that our country could be very capable at the game of soccer and hopefully more will be invested in our youth system. Hearing people talk about soccer more has been a very exciting thing for those of us already invested in the soccer community."