What could cause football’s popularity to go downhill in the next couple of years?

Football is the most popular sport in the world because it has fans from every corner of the globe, writes John Matt. The sport was not that big in the USA and Canada, but it gained ground in these countries as well, especially after the elite of world football arrived this summer.

With that said, there are certain risks ahead of the sport that many people do not talk about. Some of them could have a serious impact on the sport’s popularity in the next couple of years, so let’s learn more details about them.

Scandals and the loss of trust

Perhaps the biggest danger to football losing popularity is the various scandals. Fans accept that the sport is also a business, but they expect the competitions to be fair. Sadly, this is not always the case because there have been many cases of corruption in the last couple of years.

Some of the most recent cases in the USA, for example, revealed that around 27 people pleaded guilty in different cases related to football.

Needless to say, match fixing is also a big issue globally. It can be very destructive when it comes to fans’ interests, especially those in the UK looking for online betting. In fact, people who visit Nostrabet UK to read reviews about the best bookies have to be careful what they wager on after choosing a specific operator. This is especially true for some of the lesser popular leagues out there.

While this may not be an issue in the UK, it is present in many parts of the world.

Lower quality product

The American festival of football this summer was unique in many ways, especially when it comes to the teams it features. People had the chance to see a lot more teams than usual, and even though some of them turned out to be very interesting, many fans believe that the games had lower overall quality.

If every tournament expands, important occasions can become routine content and this is something that people definitely do not want to see. This is very important for younger fans because keeping their interest is easier said than done. They already have tons of other forms of entertainment.

VAR and the matchday experience

Football was one of the few major sports where modern tech had to catch up in the last couple of years. Things in the UK started with VAR and the new tech quickly became popular because it allows referees to be more precise. However, it can also damage the emotional experience of watching the sport.

Removing the new tech altogether is also not a solution, especially in today’s world. Those in charge of the game need to find a way to balance everything and ensure that supporters can still get an authentic experience. There are many instances where people can’t really understand a decision, which makes them feel detached from the match.

Racism, sexism and exclusion

Outside of everything mentioned so far, football could lose some of its fans in the UK and other parts of the world because of the atmosphere around it. We all know that things like racism, sexism, and homophobia are not new in the sport. Based on entities like Kick It Out, there have been close to 1400 reports of discrimination in the 2024/25 season alone. On top of that, the percentage of existing or misogynistic behaviour is also on the rise (67% up).

Some fans are generally disturbed by these stats and expect regulators to take action. They also expect public campaigns to be matched by bans, a better reporting system, and overall player protection. Sadly, this is easier said than done and football authorities will probably need a lot more time to do something about it.

The retirement of Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo

People can argue all they want about whether Ronaldo is better than Messi, but the truth is that both players are in a league of their own. They have proven this many times over the last 20+ years. Sadly, both of them are getting older, so their retirement from professional football is just around the corner. This will definitely have an impact on the sport’s popularity in many parts of the world.

Disclaimer. #Over18s #Be Gamble Aware. For advice and support for gambling or gambling addiction there are a number of organisations in the UK you can contact such as Gamble Aware or Gam Care