United States

Yup, it's true, the sport is pretty popular in the U.S. of A, despite our reputation for being indifferent to it. Called soccer here – and easily overshadowed by sports such as American football, basketball and baseball – there are actually more than 3 million people under the age of 18 who play competitively. That makes it the second most popular team youth sport in the country, behind only basketball.

Add to that an increased interest in the men's World Cup, the U.S. team's dominance at this year's women's event, and a growing Latino population that hails from soccer-mad countries like Mexico, and it's clear there's a growing fan base here.