There is a global wave to ride. And while England finished third on the pitch, when it comes to clubs there is no rival anywhere in the world. The Premier League is taking its show across the United States, with a league-wide celebration built around the opening round of the 2026/27 season, beginning on Friday 21 August. What does it involve? Fifteen cities from the West to the East Coast, events for supporters, major figures representing the English football identity and everything that surrounds it – from former players to pop stars such as Ed Sheeran, who owns a stake in newly promoted Ipswich Town. The idea is to recreate the atmosphere of the watch parties that became one of the defining features of the World Cup, with giant screens in public squares, at fairs and inside large venues capable of bringing together fans from every continent.
The Premier League had never attempted anything of this scale to strengthen its connection with supporters on the other side of the Atlantic. The past month, however, has shown that the ground is there, that the timing is right and that MLS alone cannot contain the appetite for football beginning to grow across North America. “It is hugely exciting for us to bring the best of our clubs, our league and our players to fans across the country,” said EPL executives. “There is so much enthusiasm around the sport: we simply want to offer a new way to welcome new supporters and involve those who already follow us as we approach the start of the new season.”
Behind initiatives of this kind are the constantly rising numbers surrounding English football, particularly its global audience. Last year NBC, the American broadcaster that holds Premier League rights in the United States, reached record figures, averaging 1.2 million viewers per matchday against an investment of 450 million dollars a year. The league’s commercial partners – including Microsoft, Coca-Cola and Adobe – are understood to have pushed for a further attempt to tap into the untapped potential of this market. The growing American influence among the ownership groups of English clubs, from Liverpool to Manchester United, points in the same direction.
The upside is clear for everyone involved. Each club will have its own dedicated watch party: Arsenal in Denver, Chelsea in Dallas, Liverpool in Boston and Manchester United in New York, with the Brooklyn Bridge as a backdrop. The appeal also comes from the familiarity of so many players who became known to American supporters during the World Cup and who will now return in club colours: 182 in total, from Haaland to Rodri and Enzo Fernández. As the Premier League’s executives put it, “This tournament has strengthened the passion for football in this country like never before. The public experienced the best competition the game has to offer.” Now the English league faces the challenge of carrying that feeling forward over the long term. Difficult, certainly. But worth trying.