America is no longer standing outside global football. It is buying into it, at a scale Washington has barely begun to reckon with.

Thirteen of the 20 Premier League clubs that competed in the 2025-26 season had at least minority American ownership. Across Europe’s “Big Five” leagues, 32 clubs now carry an American stake of 5% or more, and Americans make up roughly 40% of the multi-club ownership groups reshaping the sport’s finances.

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The Union of European Football Associations’ own 2025 club finance report counted an all-time high of 123 investment transactions across European football that year, as combined top-division revenue approached €30 billion, or $40 million. American capital — the Glazers at Manchester United, Todd Boehly and Clearlake at Chelsea, RedBird Capital at AC Milan, Fenway Sports Group at Liverpool, CVC’s stakes in LaLiga and Ligue 1 itself — is no longer an interesting subplot in European football. It is close to becoming the plot.

And in 2026, the United States isn’t merely hosting part of the World Cup. It is becoming one of the most important commercial markets in global football, full stop.

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