The most popular international soccer team in the United States is not the USMNT. That distinction goes to Mexico. For years, El Tri attendance has dwarfed that of the USMNT. This year, Mexico averaged 54,277 fans per game while playing ten games on American soil. The USMNT only averaged 37,925, which means that Mexico’s attendance is 43% higher in the US than USMNT games. It’s not surprising, however, given the number of people from Mexico living in the US. Despite the crowds being routinely larger for Mexico games than US games, it has to be said that Mexico playing as many games as they do in the US is a boon for soccer in this country.
Here is the attendance for every game Mexico played in the US in 2024.
| Date | Competition | Match-Up | Stadium | City | Attendance |
| March 21 | Nations League | Mexico vs. Panama | AT&T Stadium | Arlington, TX | 40,926 |
| March 24 | Nations League | Mexico vs. USA | AT&T Stadium | Arlington, TX | 59,471 |
| May 31 | International Friendly | Mexico vs. Bolivia | Soldier Field | Chicago, IL | 52,273 |
| June 5 | International Friendly | Mexico vs. Uruguay | Empower Field at Mile High | Denver, CO | 57,852 |
| June 8 | International Friendly | Mexico vs. Brazil | Kyle Field | College Station, TX | 85,249 |
| June 22 | Copa America | Mexico vs. Jamaica | NRG Stadium | Houston, TX | 53,763 |
| June 26 | Copa America | Mexico vs. Venezuela | SoFi Stadium | Los Angeles, CA | 72,773 |
| June 30 | Copa America | Mexico vs. Ecuador | State Farm Stadium | Glendale, AZ | 62,565 |
| September 7 | International Friendly | Mexico vs. New Zealand | Rose Bowl | Pasadena, CA | 25,271 |
| September 10 | International Friendly | Mexico vs. Canada | AT&T Stadium | Arlington, TX | 32,623 |
Given that, like the USMNT, Mexico was also playing in Copa America this summer, it’s a little bit surprising that their attendance was not higher. The most likely explanation is that Mexico has just been bad since the 2022 World Cup. In Qatar, Mexico was eliminated from the group stage of a World Cup for the first time since 1978 (a span of eight World Cup appearances). Since then, the results have not gotten much better. They failed to win the Nations League in either 2023 or 2024, losing to the US in the 2023 semifinals and then again to the US in this year’s final. They did win the 2023 Gold Cup, though they did not have to beat the US to do it as the Americans were knocked out by Panama in the semifinals.
But just like the US, Mexico put on a disastrous display at this summer’s Copa America. An ugly 1-0 win over Jamaica was followed by an even uglier 1-0 loss to Venezuela before they eventually drew 0-0 with Ecuador to bow out of the competition. And while the USMNT replaced Gregg Berhalter with a top class manager in Mauricio Pochettino, Mexico decided to play the greatest hits and replace Jaime Lozano with Javier Aguirre (who managed Mexico at both the 2002 and 2010 World Cups). This did little to spark enthusiasm with the Mexican fans as the two September friendlies they played in this US draw some of the smallest crowds at venues that are normally huge draws for Mexico.
Despite all that, Mexico’s attendance in the US was up 4% from 2023.
| Year | Average Attendance | Number of Games in US | % Change |
| 2012 | 45,855 | 6 | N/A |
| 2013 | 44,321 | 11 | -3% |
| 2014 | 58,597 | 8 | +32% |
| 2015 | 64,141 | 14 | +10% |
| 2016 | 51,200 | 10 | -20% |
| 2017 | 43,586 | 10 | -15% |
| 2018 | 59,678 | 6 | +37% |
| 2019 | 57,546 | 12 | -4% |
| 2020 | N/A | 0 | N/A |
| 2021 | 44,213 | 15 | -23% |
| 2022 | 56,350 | 7 | +28% |
| 2023 | 52,337 | 15 | -7% |
| 2024 | 54,277 | 10 | +4% |
How does Mexico’s attendance in the US regularly stack up against the USMNT attendance, and even the USWNT attendance? Is it always so much higher? As it turns out, yes. The only year where Mexico’s attendance in the US did not surpass that of both the USMNT and USWNT was 2020 when Mexico didn’t play any games in the United States.
| Year | Mexico | USMNT | USWNT |
| 2012 | 45,855 | 33,210 | 16,251 |
| 2013 | 44,321 | 33,803 | 16,479 |
| 2014 | 58,597 | 34,374 | 10,791 |
| 2015 | 64,141 | 38,764 | 27,766 |
| 2016 | 51,200 | 29,707 | 15,973 |
| 2017 | 43,586 | 29,400 | 18,150 |
| 2018 | 59,678 | 24,163 | 14,064 |
| 2019 | 57,546 | 23,306 | 25,122 |
| 2020 | N/A | 5,836 | 14,559 |
| 2021 | 44,213 | 25,155 | 12,703 |
| 2022 | 56,350 | 21,383 | 14,967 |
| 2023 | 52,337 | 29,578 | 19,461 |
| 2024 | 54,277 | 37,925 | 19,270 |
While the USMNT and USWNT seem to be gearing up for 2025, with numerous games already on the calendar for the early part of next year, Mexico seems to be doing the opposite. They only games they have set for American soil are the two Nations League games at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles in March. There, they will open against Canada on the 20th and the face either the US or Panama on the 23rd.
At the end of the day, Mexico’s attendance may be significantly higher than either of the US teams, but they are still good for the overall growth of soccer in this country. A successful Mexican team means more butts in seats, more eyeballs on TV, more people buying jerseys, the whole nine yards. With so much high level soccer being played in the United States between 2023 and 2028, the sky could be the limit for the growth of the sport in this country. The Gold Cup was here in 2023, Copa America was here in 2024, the Gold Cup and the Club World Cup are here in 2025, the World Cup is here in 2026, the Gold Cup figures to be here in 2027, and Olympic soccer is here in 2028. If soccer can’t “make it” now, will it ever?
Photo Credit: NBC News