LA Still The No. 1 Soccer City In America, Study Finds
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – Angelenos who love soccer are in the right place.
According to a new study released Wednesday by WalletHub, Los Angeles is the best soccer city in the nation. L.A. also ranked No. 1 in WalletHub's 2019 study.
The West Coast was well represented. Rounding out the top five were Seattle, Salt Lake City, Portland and Orlando.
The burgeoning crosstown rivalry between Major League Soccer's LAFC and the L.A. Galaxy likely played a role in the ranking, along with the expansion Angel City Football Club, which will begin play in the National Women's Soccer League next year. ACFC founded by several powerful women in sports, entertainment and business, including the likes of Natalie Portman, Serena Williams, Billie Jean King.
WalletHub collected data from 295 cities to make its determination. It evaluated each city on 52 metrics, including team performance, fan engagement, attendance, franchise value and season ticket prices.
To qualify for the rankings, a city had to have at least one college or professional team. To see the full list, click here.
Last month, the city of L.A. officially made its bid to host games for the 2026 World Cup. The 1994 World Cup Final was held at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, where Brazil defeated Italy in a penalty shootout.