World Cup 2026: Football still fighting for attention in North America, says Marcel Desailly

Marcel Desailly believes the World Cup’s return to North America presents a major opportunity for football growth, but insists the sport still faces stiff competition for attention in the region.

The former France international, who is serving as a FIFA ambassador during the tournament, says there remains significant untapped potential across the United States and Canada despite strong ticket sales and global interest.

Desailly noted that football continues to trail several established sports in popularity, particularly in the United States.

The World Cup winner suggested there is often a gap between how football’s global influence is perceived and the reality on the ground in North America.

Despite those challenges, Desailly praised efforts to modernise ticketing and increase fan engagement, describing the tournament as an important step in expanding football’s reach.

The former defender welcomed the introduction of the 48-team format, arguing that it offers more nations the opportunity to participate while exposing new audiences to the competition.

Desailly also highlighted the enormous global exposure expected during the tournament, claiming that each match will attract attention comparable to the Super Bowl in terms of visibility.

“I’m very proud to be an ambassador of FIFA because there’s still a whole lot to do. Even if football is the best sport across the world, we still have a lot of market to grab: India, China, New Zealand, Australia, America, Canada, Thailand. We are not the first sport there,” he told Flashscore. 

“You have four or five sports that are in front of us, you know, in America. You have basketball, you have American football, you have basketball, you have baseball. Another one: hockey, you see? So it is what it is. So it’s good to be back for the first time since 1994. We were away from America, and there’s a real gap between the perception that we have and the reality on the ground.

“We believe that the World Cup is everything. But when you look at it deep down, you can realise that in America, the craziness over the World Cup is not that much. All the stadiums are full, but deep down in the cities across the United States of America, it’s not really crazy.

“They’ve done well. They’ve created a new system to sell the tickets online to be able to resell, so it has a boost, you know, a little bit of the revenue aspect. But there’s a real task for Canada and America to raise interest in football. So having 48 teams now in the system is good and bad at the same time.

“It gives access to more matches, to capture more attention to the people. You have to know I have a stat. The stat is that the exposure of each of the matches of the World Cup in America, Canada, and Mexico will be the equivalent of the Super Bowl in America. You see? So it is what it is. It’s super exposed worldwide, and we are looking forward to it.”

Deschamps will oversee France at the 2026 World Cup where their group stage matches are scheduled from Tuesday, June 16, to Friday, June 26, 2026, across three different host cities in the United States.

Placed in Group I, the two-time world champions will kick off their campaign against Senegal on Tuesday, June 16, 2026, at the New York New Jersey Stadium (MetLife Stadium) located in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

For their second match, Les Bleus will travel south to play against Iraq on Monday, June 22, 2026, at Philadelphia Stadium (Lincoln Financial Field) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The French national team will then conclude their opening round fixtures with a highly anticipated clash against Norway on Friday, June 26, 2026, at Boston Stadium (Gillette Stadium) in Foxborough, Massachusetts.