Atlanta Named Among Best For Soccer Fans

Americans have trailed behind the rest of the world in fully embracing soccer. But with the incredible success of the U.S. Women’s National Team in the past two World Cup tournaments, and the upward trajectory of Major League Soccer, it looks like the United States has finally gained substantial admiration in recent years for the beautiful game.

If you consider yourself an avid soccer fan, or just someone who enjoys watching a match from time to time, we have some potentially good — a new study by WalletHub ranked Atlanta No. 6 in soccer fan experience out of 288 largest cities across the country.

To determine the most accurate soccer fan-friendly cities in America, WalletHub compared the 288 locations based on the presence of Major League Soccer, National Women’s Soccer League, United Soccer League, Division 1 Men’s College Soccer, and Division 1 Women’s College Soccer teams. To be included, cities had to have at least one college or professional soccer team.

Atlanta ranked third in the MLS; 10th in the NWSL; 31st in the USL; 52nd in Division 1 Men’s Soccer, and 138th in Division 1 Women’s Soccer.

WalletHub then drilled down further using 52 relevant metrics, including factors such as number of championships won, stadium capacity, minimum season ticket prices, attendance and franchise value.

Atlanta United is the defending MLS champions, and plays its home games in front of sellout crowds at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in downtown.

In 2018, the average MLS team was worth $240 million — up 7.6 percent from 2017, according to the study’s author.

Los Angeles ranked as the best soccer city in America for fans, while Pine Bluff, Arizona, ranked in the 288th spot, as the least friendly city for soccer fans.

These are the cities that made the top ten of WalletHub’s rankings:

1. Los Angeles, California
2. Orlando, Florida
3. Salt Lake City, Utah
4. Portland, Oregon
5. Seattle, Washington
6. Atlanta, Georgia
7. Kansas City, Missouri
8. New York, New York
9. Washington, D.C.
10. Cary, North Carolina

Here are the cities that placed in the bottom five of the rankings:

284. Youngstown, Ohio
285. Hampton, Virginia
286. Las Cruces, New Mexico
287. Dover, Delaware
288. Pine Bluff, Arkansas

The 2019 best cities for soccer fans came out on Aug. 14.