New Brand Finance research reveals Inter Miami remains the strongest US soccer brand
DALLAS, August 14, 2025 – With the 2026 FIFA World Cup set to take place across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, interest in soccer continues to rise among American audiences, according to a new report from Brand Finance, the world's leading brand valuation consultancy. The FIFA World Cup is now the most popular competition among US soccer fans, overtaking Major League Soccer (MLS) for the first time.
Brand Finance’s research reveals strong perceptions of the FIFA World Cup among US fans. It ranks second for passionate fans (61%), and third for both having a good reputation (54%) and being highly competitive (59%), surpassing many other international soccer competitions in the US market.
The FIFA Club World Cup, hosted in the US earlier this year, served as an early test ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Despite featuring several high-profile matches, including appearances by Inter Miami and leading European clubs, the tournament struggled to generate strong attendance and received criticism for unclear messaging. Brand Finance research, conducted during the lead-up to the FIFA Club World Cup, found that just 1% of US respondents cited it as their favorite competition. However, 72% reported awareness of the event, and 49% said they followed it.
Among domestic clubs, Inter Miami CF retains its position as the strongest US soccer brand, achieving a Brand Strength Index (BSI) score of 61.2 out of 100, up from 57.8 in 2024. The club continues to benefit from global attention following Lionel Messi’s arrival in 2023. According to Brand Finance’s research, 39% of US fans describe Inter Miami as “exciting and entertaining to watch,” and the team also scores highly for having iconic sponsors, innovation, and passionate fans. However, it continues to trail global clubs on heritage, being perceived as well run off the pitch, and overall reputation.
Brand Finance data also shows that the Premier League (England) is now nearly as familiar to US soccer fans as MLS. While MLS retains a slight lead in overall awareness, the Premier League is followed more closely by a higher proportion of engaged fans, highlighting the power of its global brand.
Laurence Newell, Managing Director, Brand Finance Americas, commented:
“The momentum behind soccer in the United States is clear, and the next 12 months will be critical for clubs, leagues, and commercial partners to translate that interest into lasting brand value. The decision to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup across three countries presents both a major opportunity and a significant challenge. It marks a milestone in regional cooperation but also raises concerns around logistics and fan experience. With global attention on North America, this tournament will be a key test for the sport’s growth in the region. A strong performance from a North American national team could be transformational. Now is the time for brands to invest in building strength and visibility across the soccer landscape.”
Real Madrid and Barcelona are the two most valuable and strongest football club brands in the world. Real Madrid’s brand value rose 14% to EUR1.9 billion, while Barcelona’s increased by 11% to EUR1.7 billion. Both clubs also received AAA+ ratings for brand strength. Real Madrid and Barcelona account for 74% of the total value of Spain’s top ten football brands, underlining a stark concentration of brand value within LALIGA.
Brand Finance is the world’s leading brand valuation consultancy. Bridging the gap between marketing and finance, Brand Finance evaluates the strength of brands and quantifies their financial value to help organisations make strategic decisions.
Headquartered in London, Brand Finance operates in over 25 countries. Every year, Brand Finance conducts more than 6,000 brand valuations, supported by original market research, and publishes over 100 reports which rank brands across all sectors and countries.
Brand Finance also operates the Global Brand Equity Monitor, conducting original market research annually on 6,000 brands, surveying more than 175,000 respondents across 41 countries and 31 industry sectors. By combining perceptual data from the Global Brand Equity Monitor with data from its valuation database — the largest brand value database in the world — Brand Finance equips ambitious brand leaders with the data, analytics, and the strategic guidance they need to enhance brand and business value.
In addition to calculating brand value, Brand Finance also determines the relative strength of brands through a balanced scorecard of metrics evaluating marketing investment, stakeholder equity, and business performance, compliant with ISO 20671.
Brand Finance is a regulated accountancy firm and a committed leader in the standardisation of the brand valuation industry. Brand Finance was the first to be certified by independent auditors as compliant with both ISO 10668 and ISO 20671 and has received the official endorsement of the Marketing Accountability Standards Board (MASB) in the United States.
Brand is defined as a marketing-related intangible asset including, but not limited to, names, terms, signs, symbols, logos, and designs, intended to identify goods, services, or entities, creating distinctive images and associations in the minds of stakeholders, thereby generating economic benefits.
Brand strength is the efficacy of a brand’s performance on intangible measures relative to its competitors. Brand Finance evaluates brand strength in a process compliant with ISO 20671, looking at Marketing Investment, Stakeholder Equity, and the impact of those on Business Performance. The data used is derived from Brand Finance’s proprietary market research programme and from publicly available sources.
Each brand is assigned a Brand Strength Index (BSI) score out of 100, which feeds into the brand value calculation. Based on the score, each brand is assigned a corresponding Brand Rating up to AAA+ in a format similar to a credit rating.
Brand Finance calculates the values of brands in its rankings using the Royalty Relief approach – a brand valuation method compliant with the industry standards set in ISO 10668. It involves estimating the likely future revenues that are attributable to a brand by calculating a royalty rate that would be charged for its use, to arrive at a ‘brand value’ understood as a net economic benefit that a brand owner would achieve by licensing the brand in the open market.
The steps in this process are as follows:
1 Calculate brand strength using a balanced scorecard of metrics assessing Marketing Investment, Stakeholder Equity, and Business Performance. Brand strength is expressed as a Brand Strength Index (BSI) score on a scale of 0 to 100.
2 Determine royalty range for each industry, reflecting the importance of brand to purchasing decisions. In luxury, the maximum percentage is high, while in extractive industry, where goods are often commoditised, it is lower. This is done by reviewing comparable licensing agreements sourced from Brand Finance’s extensive database.
3 Calculate royalty rate. The BSI score is applied to the royalty range to arrive at a royalty rate. For example, if the royalty range in a sector is 0-5% and a brand has a BSI score of 80 out of 100, then an appropriate royalty rate for the use of this brand in the given sector will be 4%.
4 Determine brand-specific revenues by estimating a proportion of parent company revenues attributable to a brand.
5 Determine forecast revenues using a function of historic revenues, equity analyst forecasts, and economic growth rates.
6 Apply the royalty rate to the forecast revenues to derive brand revenues.
7 Discount post-tax brand revenues to a net present value which equals the brand value.
Brand Finance has produced this study with an independent and unbiased analysis. The values derived and opinions presented in this study are based on publicly available information and certain assumptions that Brand Finance used where such data was deficient or unclear. Brand Finance accepts no responsibility and will not be liable in the event that the publicly available information relied upon is subsequently found to be inaccurate. The opinions and financial analysis expressed in the study are not to be construed as providing investment or business advice. Brand Finance does not intend the study to be relied upon for any reason and excludes all liability to any body, government, or organisation.
The data presented in this study form part of Brand Finance's proprietary database, are provided for the benefit of the media, and are not to be used in part or in full for any commercial or technical purpose without written permission from Brand Finance.
