In honor of the World Cup beginning on Thursday, WalletHub released its ranking of the best and worst U.S. cities for soccer fans.
Chicago checked in at No. 10 on the list.
WalletHub, a personal finance website that has made its name by ranking the best and worst cities for a variety of reasons, released its soccer fans study on Wednesday — the same day FIFA, international soccer’s governing body, voted to let the U.S., Canada and Mexico jointly host the 2026 World Cup.
WalletHub compared nearly 300 cities that had at least one college or professional soccer team. Chicago has six college soccer teams (between DePaul, Loyola and University of Illinois – Chicago), the Chicago Fire and the Chicago Red Stars.
Los Angeles and Orlando took the two top spots on the list with Seattle, Portland, Oregon, and New York ranking inside the top five.
Salt Lake City, Washington, Kansas City, Missouri, Atlanta and Chicago rounded out the top 10, respectively.
As for the worst cities, soccer fans should avoid Dover, Delaware, Grand Forks, North Dakota, and Youngstown, Ohio.
It’s pretty remarkable that Chicago ranked in the top 10 given the fact they were ranked the city with the league engaging MLS and National Women’s Soccer League fans. The Windy City also has the second lowest stadium capacity in the two professional leagues.
Top Cities for Soccer Fans
1. Los Angeles
2. Orlando
3. Seattle
4. Portland, Oregon
5. New York
6. Salt Lake City
7. Washington.
8. Kansas City, Missouri
9. Atlanta
10. Chicago
11. Houston
12. Columbus, Ohio
13. Cary, North Carolina
14. Minneapolis
15. Boston
16. Dallas
17. San Jose, California
18. Denver
19. Philadelphia
20. Piscataway, New Jersey
Worst Cities for Soccer Fans
292. Dover, Delaware
291. Grand Forks, North Dakota
290. Youngstown, Ohio
289. Hampton, Virgina
288. Las Cruces, New Mexico
287. Richmond, Kentucky
286. Monroe, Louisiana
285. Pine Bluff, Arkansas
284. Jonesboro, Arkansas
283. Jackson, Mississippi
282. Grambling, Louisiana
281. Cedar Falls, Iowa
280. Chattanooga, Tennessee
279. Terre Haute, Indiana
278. Vermillion, South Dakota
277. Fort Collins, Colorado
276. Coral Gables, Florida
275. Corpus Christi, Texas
274. Pocatello, Indiana
273. Fayette, Mississippi
272. Huntsville, Alabama