June 9 : North America's soccer fan base has grown 10.9 per cent to more than 136 million people over the past five years, Nielsen said in a report released on Tuesday, highlighting growing interest ahead of the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The study, covering audience trends across the three host nations, found that Lionel Messi’s debut for Inter Miami CF in the 2023 Leagues Cup drove a 173 per cent leap in linear viewership compared with the tournament average. “The