The success of Premier League clubs' summer tours of America demonstrates just how popular a competitive game in the US could be.
A sold-out crowd of more than 82,000. Fans congregating hours before kick off, setting off flares and singing the same chants as in England. Fans travelling across the country and paying at least $100 for a ticket. A punch-up in the stands and then a furious on-pitch altercation between Lisandro Martinez and Gabriel Jesus. Manchester United's friendly against Arsenal showed how much appetite there is for English football in the United States.
However, it also showed the limitations of the spectacle currently on offer. The match began with the intensity and passion of a Premier League match as both teams fielded some of their best players. But in the second half, with each manager making 11 substitutes, the game began to resemble a friendly again. The fact that a penalty shootout took place after the full-time whistle despite United winning 2-0 served to underline the reality that this was not a serious event after all.
So just imagine how different things would be if a trophy was at stake, one with 115 years of history and tradition, and one that many people still see as a major honour. American fans would be even more excited and supporters in England and around the world would be tuning in too.
Imagine if the Community Shield took place in the United States every year.
Getty ImagesExploding popularity of football in the US
Football is not so much booming as exploding in the US right now. The US is co-hosting the next World Cup along with Canada and Mexico, and Lionel Messi fever is further fuelling the growth of Major League Soccer. Indeed, last month Inter Miami were the subject of 8.2 million Google searches, far more than Manchester United.
According to a poll by the , eight per cent of Americans said football was their favourite sport, compared to 11 per cent who said baseball and 12 per cent who said basketball. Other studies state that football has already overtaken ice hockey in popularity.
Interest in European football is massive too. The match between Arsenal and United set a record for a football match in the state of New Jersey. United's fixture with Real Madrid in Texas attracted 67,000 fans, while Arsenal's win over Barcelona was witnessed by 70,000. Huge attendances for European teams in the US is not a new phenomenon. In 2014, 109,000 people filled the 'Big House' in Michigan to see United play Madrid.
But how long can US audiences be sated by friendly matches? A competitive game with a trophy on the line is the next logical step for European football in the US.
AdvertisementGetty 'We would die to have a competitive game'
"I can say unequivocally, we would die to have a real competitive game anywhere in America," Phil Murphy, the governor of New Jersey and one of the organisers of the 2026 World Cup, said last month. "If it was in New York/New Jersey, you wouldn’t get near that game. It would be overwhelming. To have a Champions League game, you wouldn’t be able to get near it."
There has been interest in holding Premier League matches in the US ever since then CEO Richard Scudamore floated the idea in 2008 with the concept of a '39th game' being held abroad. But the plan provoked a huge backlash among English fans and led to questions about distorting the competition. La Liga's plans to take matches to Miami, announced in 2018, also failed to get off the ground for the same reason.
Murphy's dream of Champions League matches being held in the States is also unlikely to be realised due to the magnitude of Europe's top competition. The Community Shield, however, is the least controversial way to make it happen.
GettySpain and Italy have already done it
Spain and Italy have already taken their equivalent competitions abroad. Italy was the first to do so, playing the Supercoppa Italiana in Washington, DC as early as 1993. The competition has since been held in Libya, New Jersey, China, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
And earlier this year the Italian football association struck a deal worth approximately €23 million (£20m/$24m) per season to host an expanded Supercoppa in Saudi Arabia until 2028.
The Spanish football federation, encouraged by Gerard Pique, struck its own deal to host the revamped tournament in Saudi Arabia from 2020, earning a reported €40 million (£34m/$44m) per year.
Although the move provoked criticism from the likes of Athletic Bilbao, Atletico Madrid and Valencia, the refreshed tournament has been a great success both on a commercial and entertainment level.
And teams are still taking it deadly seriously. Barcelona sacked coach Ernesto Valverde days after his side were knocked out by Atletico in the semi-finals in 2020. The last two finals, both between Real and Barca, have been thrilling matches watched by sell-out crowds.
GettyNo political controversy – unlike with Saudi
Both federations did face criticism for their deals due to Saudi Arabia's repressive record on human rights and homosexuality, however. And given the outrage that has followed Jordan Henderson's move to Saudi Pro League side Al-Ettifaq, the English Football Association (FA) is unlikely to follow suit and send the Community Shield to the Gulf state.
There would be no political risk in taking the competition to the US, however. And even if the financial rewards would not as be as much as by cutting a deal with Saudi, the FA could still get a significant windfall from the move.
At the moment the match only generates ticket and programme sales for the FA, which it redistributes to community initiatives and charities. And there is no reason why the competition could not remain a force for good if played abroad. Indeed, the charities would stand to receive far larger amounts of money.