As watch parties have suddenly become America’s favorite pastime, 2026 is shaping up to be the Summer of Fandom.

Whether in bars, parks, hotels, museums, backyard parties, public plazas or designated fan zones, events like the World Cup, the NBA Finals, and Sunday’s UFC Freedom 250 at the White House have given fans reason to meet up by the dozens or thousands to cheer. More than 1 million people are expected to line the streets in and around the Canyon of Heroes in lower Manhattan for Thursday’s New York Knicks victory parade. Just as World Cup fans are sporting their favorite teams’ jerseys and colors, Knicks devotees are still favoring blue and orange in solidarity to the team’s first NBA title since 1973.

Larry Olmsted, author of “Fans: How Watching Sports Makes Us Happier, Healthier and More Understanding,” said Tuesday, “I think interest in and passion for sports as entertainment or spectacle is reaching new heights.”

U.S. fans’ relatively newfound interest in soccer and Formula 1 racing as well as team indoor sports have not only increased viewership for those, but also for the NFL, the NBA, NASCAR, and other entities, he said. “Sports is reaching new heights, but not necessarily traditional fandom for a particular team. Especially in big markets, success always attracts fair weather fans. For example, the Knicks will be more popular short-term, but that’s not true for every NBA team.”

While allegiances with athletes and sports may be expanding, many diehard fans and newbies still like wearing their favorite team’s colors or styles. After the Knicks clinched the finals, Fanatics received nearly 8,500 orders per minute — a new company record — with New York, New Jersey, Florida, California, and Connecticut being the top-selling states, according to a NBA spokesperson.

And the 2026 World Cup is expected to give New York and New Jersey an economic jolt, by generating $3.3 billion, supporting 26,000-plus jobs, and attracting more than 1.2 million visitors. Last weekend’s $60 million UFC fight night at the White House reportedly attracted more than 200,000 people to a two-day fan fest and exceeded chief executive officer Dana White’s expectations.

Pinterest released its first sports-related trend report a few weeks ago. The platform, which has 600 million active monthly users, mined search information. Noting how people have been infusing sport symbols, team colors, uniforms and bold graphics into their everyday attire, Pinterest’s global trends and insights lead Sydney Stanback said, “It was showing up in fashion, beauty, food, and lifestyle all at once. That kind of cross-category momentum tells us we’re not looking at a single trend anymore, we’re looking at a cultural shift.”

Sports can fill a void for community simply by putting on a hat or jersey and walking into a sports bar during a game time, Olmsted said. “Humans are genetically and historically social creatures and have built and lived in communities since the cavemen era, and as increased urbanization and relocation has splintered the traditional extended family living in one town or under one roof, it’s a way to maintain family of sorts,” he said.

Seven-year-old Vivian Havens, who is better known as “Superfan Vivian” and has attended 400-plus games, and the high-flying octogenarian James F. Goldstein, a courtside presence at 5,000-plus NBA games and counting, reflect the widening spectrum of fandom. With more than 400,000 followers on TikTok and Instagram, Havens started turning up courtside, when she was only two months old, thanks to her parents Todd and Callie Havens.

Asked about the fervor that summer fans are embracing, Vivian Havens said when she wears team jerseys and attends games she feels like she is part of the team. Her parents had a different take, suggesting fans feel like they are part of the action as they can pull up in-depth information about their favorite teams and players at any time. 

Highlighting the marketability of fandom, there is  “Superfan Vivian Merch” like a $25 logo T-shirt and a $18 Shooter Shoot cap with sales benefiting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Global Citizen is promoting its July 19 watch party in New York City’s Central Park for the World Cup finals as “one of the biggest in the world.” New York Governor Kathy Hochul and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani will be among the 50,000 attendees on the Great Lawn. In the meantime, FIFA Fan Festivals are being staged in Atlanta, Boston, Houston, Miami, Philadelphia and other cities. In Seattle, fans can catch the matches on a floating barge or watch them live on a giant LED screen at Pier 62. KidSuper’s Colm Dillane, who played soccer professionally in Brazil before getting into fashion, will host a watch party for the England-Croatia match Wednesday on the soccer field rooftop of his 10,000-square-foot Brooklyn headquarters.

Fans are showing their team allegiance by wearing soccer jerseys and T-shirts from brands like Adidas, Nike, Puma, and more casual looks from Levi’s and Old Navy. Through July 19, Adidas has set up its own fan zone in Brooklyn Bridge Park with live screenings, a soccer pitch, a beer garden and food vendors. The sports juggernaut also has a slew of soccer-related looks including a$140 Argentina 2006 Messi jersey, $120 denim graphic track top, and a $90 Mexico midriff-baring reconstructed bringback jersey.

The Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City is trying to woo fans with soccer-inspired events. Outside its downtown entrance, visitors will find one of the 23 sculptures that are part of the public art installation “The Art of the Game.” The nonprofit ARTS 14C partnered with the New York and New Jersey 2026 World Cup host committee for the project, which features the work of internationally known artists including Tomokazu Matsuyama, Futura 2000 and Fred Wilson. After the 18-karat gold Silvio Gazzaniga-designed World Cup trophy is presented to the victors, “The Art of the Game” will remain on view through Sept. 7.  

The Guggenheim, the New York Botanical Garden and the American Museum of Natural History are getting in on the action, as well as colleges and universities like the University of Southern California and Rhode Island School of Design’s Museum.

At Hudson Yards’ watch parties, the crowd size has ranged from 2,000 to 6,000 people so far, according to Hudson Yards’ senior vice president of marketing, partnerships and events Stephanie Fink Plakoudas. During Saturday’s Brazil versus Morocco match, there was a 9 percent increase in traffic into the 60-store shopping center, compared to a year ago. “Those are new visitors and existing ones that are coming in to shop, to dine and to enjoy themselves before and after the game,” she said.

“Absolutely” expecting the watch party crowds to increase as the tournament progresses, Plakoudas said there is plenty of room in and around the plaza to accommodate the fans. “People come, they dance, they cheer, they bring blankets and their families so it’s a really nice outdoor experience that you can’t get anywhere else in New York,” she said. (They’re also shopping in the two FIFA merchandise stores, and checking out activations with FIFA partners like American Airlines’ “Find Your Flag” tie-in at the Vessel, which can lead to discounts for Hudson Yards’ restaurants.)

Syracuse University sports management professor Richard Burton described the interest as “the Summer Sports Equinox,” including “an extravaganza on the White House lawn.

“There’s a little bit of a sports celebration going on. The Knicks have waited a really long time [to win the championship]. The World Cup has brought in the entire world — 48 countries — and it’s happening all over Canada, Mexico and the United States,” Burton said. “And the weather’s good. In a lot of parts of the U.S., it’s sunny and warm and sports are going on. It’s been good for fashion and the companies that make sports-branded materials. That’s not just for the Knicks, but the Yankees [merchandise] is always selling and now you’ve got World Cup fever with many countries and star players being represented. So all of it is fun.”

As of Tuesday afternoon, Amazon’s bestsellers in fan clothing were the $33 Icon Sports officially licensed U.S. Soccer Federation game day shirt, Outerstuff’s $40 FIFA World Cup 2026 men’s soccer raglan top and fashion top, a $22 licensed NBA New York Knicks T-shirt, and Adidas World Cup 2026 shirts for Mexico and Argentina.

Soon another star orbiting the sports world may be giving superfans reason to dress up and tear up. Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are expected to wed next month and the celebrity power couple have reportedly rented out Madison Square Garden for $3 million. “How cool is that? She has become of the sports ecosystem through her engagement to a NFL player, Travis Kelce. After the Kansas City Chiefs won the 2024 Super Bowl and Swift joined Kelce on the field, she became a de facto cheerleader for many sports fans, according to Burton.

“Now that they’re getting married, it seems like a love story for the ages. It’s got a hook for the sports world, and the fashion world, the music world and the entertainment world,” he said. “If there are viewing parties or they livestream the wedding, that thing is going to do monstrous numbers. A lot of people are going to look, because you have to. It’s kind of like the wedding of the century — the largest pop star in the world an NFL Super Bowl champion is a pretty good package.”

A media request to Madison Square Garden was not immediately returned Tuesday. There have also been reports that a massive stage is being built by Rock Lititz for Swift’s and Kelce’s festivities. Asked about that Tuesday, a company spokesman said, “Rock Litiz respects the privacy of all artists, whether they are or are not our clients.”