World Cup 2026 Drew Bipartisan Viewers Despite Trump's Role
A CNBC survey found nearly half of registered voters watched the 2026 World Cup, with income and education driving viewership more than politics.
Nearly half of all registered voters tuned in to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and political affiliation had little to do with who watched, according to a new CNBC survey — a striking finding given President Donald Trump's prominent involvement in the tournament hosted on American soil.
The survey revealed that income level and educational attainment were stronger predictors of viewership than whether a voter identified as a Democrat or Republican. That pattern suggests the World Cup drew a genuinely cross-partisan audience at a moment when nearly every major public event tends to divide sharply along political lines.
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Trump played a visible role in the 2026 World Cup, which was co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico — making his presence on the world stage during the tournament hard for any viewer to ignore, regardless of their political leanings. Yet the data indicate that his involvement did not appear to suppress or inflate viewership among either party's base in a meaningful way.
The bipartisan reach of the World Cup underscores the enduring and somewhat exceptional power of global soccer to transcend domestic political fault lines, even in a deeply polarized era. Analysts might note that live sports — particularly international events with national pride at stake — continue to command broad attention in ways that most other shared media experiences no longer can.
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