The Soccer Industry: Mapping the Future of the Game
Ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, we break down the technologies, companies, and investment trends reshaping the world's most popular sport.
Profluence Calendar
📅 Upcoming Member Events
6/5: Founders Fundraising Session
6/10: APAC member virtual meetup
6/17: Community Networking
6/19: Dylan Zane - Velocity Capital Q/A session
🔗 Members can RSVP for events here
🎙 Podcasts
Bobby Basham - Exec, Chicago Cubs
Kira Pritchard & Jon Solomon - Aspen Sports Institute
We chatted with Bobby Basham about innovation in sports and how the Cubs approach it, as well as with the Aspen Institute about the future of soccer.
💬 New Members
Brian Dickson - Vensure
Alyson Stemas - The Suite
Brandon Mccaghren - PGF
David Shuler - Minnehaha Equity
Matt Marino - Private Office Ventures
🔗 Connect directly with new members here.
💸 Sports Innovation Series: Soccer
This month’s innovation series focused on the Soccer landscape.
🔗 Members Can Watch the Recording Here
The Soccer Industry
Soccer (football for everyone outside the U.S.) is the most popular sport on the planet.
Clubs, leagues, and startups are racing to capture new fans, measure performance, and monetize engagement at a global scale.
The numbers speak for themselves…
250M+ active players
3.5B+ football fans worldwide
200+ countries and territories where the game is played
$11B projected revenue for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the largest in history
Yet the tech stack powering the game is still fragmented and ripe for disruption.
And just last week there were three big announcements in soccer:
PlayerData, raised $12 million in Series A funding as it expanded from a lower-cost GPS wearable into connected ball technology and AI-powered video.
Coachbetter, a Zurich-based sports technology company, secured $8.2 million in pre-Series A funding to modernize the operational infrastructure of amateur and youth soccer clubs.
Manchester United’s Harry Maguire co-founded and invested in Feedz, an AI coaching app that converts spoken audio notes into structured player reports for athletes, parents, and coaching staff.
The 2026 World Cup may become the largest catalyst for soccer innovation in history (as North America pushes toward becoming a more serious soccer market).
Let’s Dive In👇
The Soccer Economy
Soccer dominates every global metric across audience, participation, and sponsorship dollars.
The English Premier League has an $8B domestic rights deal through 2029.
FIFA’s 2026 World Cup is projected to surpass $11B in revenue, the largest in history.
The average NWSL club is now worth approximately $184 million, up 77% since 2024 as women’s soccer continues its rapid growth.
The average MLS club is now worth approximately $690 million, with LAFC and Inter Miami both valued above $1.4 billion.
The momentum extends beyond traditional leagues.
New formats are attracting meaningful investor attention, with startups such as the Kings League and Baller League raising significant capital and demonstrating demand for creator-driven, digitally native versions of the world’s game.
Here’s a market map outlining the soccer technology industry with 40+ companies included: