Soccer Betting Heats Up in North Carolina – Why More Fans Are Turning to MLS and European Leagues

Soccer has long played second fiddle to football, basketball, and baseball in the US, but times are changing, especially in North Carolina. With local clubs on the rise, star players landing on US soil, and legal sportsbooks offering odds on every kick, soccer is heating up fast.

Whether it’s MLS matchups or Champions League elimination games, more NC fans are tuning in and placing bets. The rise of online sportsbooks and betting sources like the NorthCarolinaBettingHub.com followed as a consequence of the massive market growth.

In this article, we explain reasons why soccer is becoming more popular in North Carolina, and what role did sports betting play in the process.

Soccer in the US Before the MLS

Before Major League Soccer took shape, soccer in the US had a rough road. While kids played the sport in school yards and weekend leagues, it had little grip on the wider sports world. There were brief bursts of interest, like when the 1994 World Cup was hosted on the US soil, but no steady path forward.

MLS kicked off in 1996, two years after that World Cup. In its early years, the league struggled. Most teams played in half-empty football stadiums, and TV deals were weak. It took nearly a decade before the league saw a real profit. Until the mid-2000s, MLS operated on tight budgets, often leaning on single-entity ownership to survive.

At the time, soccer ranked far behind the NFL, NBA, MLB, and even the NHL in terms of viewership and sponsorship dollars. In 1996, MLS averaged just 17,406 fans per game, and national broadcasts were few and far between.

Gaining Momentum

Here’s the odd twist – while pro soccer lagged, youth soccer soared. By the early 2000s, more kids played soccer than baseball. In fact, a 2000 report showed that over 3 million youth players took part in organized soccer each year. Still, that love didn’t carry into adulthood, at least not yet.

Back then, European soccer lived in the shadows. Unless you had cable packages with foreign sports channels, you weren’t watching the Premier League or La Liga. It was a niche interest – strong among immigrants and die-hard fans, but way far from the mainstream sports scene.

Soccer in the US After the MLS

The landscape started to shift after MLS found its footing. The league expanded smartly, added soccer-specific stadiums, and struck better TV deals. As that happened, numbers grew. Average match attendance climbed from around 17,000 in 1996 to over 21,000 by 2015.

Naturally, the money followed, and sponsorships picked up. Broadcast rights grew, and new clubs joined the league, pulling in loyal fans from cities without NFL or MLB teams.

As a result, more talent joined too. While older European stars came over for late-career runs, MLS also brought in strong players from South America, Africa, and even some US-born stars who chose to stay home.

The rise of streaming and social media also opened the floodgates for European leagues. Premier League and Champions League matches became easier to watch and bet on. Finally, the global game was no longer “over there.”

Here’s how soccer compared to other US sports in 2015

 MLS & Sports Betting in North Carolina

North Carolina took a big step toward legal sports betting when lawmakers passed a bill in 2023, paving the way for mobile sportsbooks to launch in March 2024. That move didn’t just shift how people bet on sports but reshaped how they follow them.

Soccer was once seen as a fringe market, but gained steam overnight. Bettors discovered just how many matches were on the board: MLS, Premier League, Champions League, La Liga – the list goes on. Odds, props, and live bets made each match more thrilling to watch, and as betting grew, so did interest.

Charlotte FC – the state’s first MLS club – played a key role in this shift. Launched in 2022, the team quickly built a strong fan base. Their first home match drew 74,479 fans, breaking the MLS debut record. With local pride on the line and a steady schedule of matches to wager on, Charlotte FC helped soccer gain real ground in the NC sports scene.

Comparing Now vs. 10 Years Ago

Ten years back, soccer in North Carolina still flew under the radar, with no local pro team, no legal betting, and no steady way to watch foreign leagues. Fans who followed the sport had to dig for news, highlights, and coverage – the exact opposite of what we have today.

Here’s how soccer in North Carolina is different in 2025:

Legal mobile betting opens the door to wager any time

Premier League, Bundesliga, and more stream live every weekend

Local bars host matchday watch parties

Sportsbooks run soccer-specific promos year-round

The bottom line is – soccer in North Carolina has a good future ahead. The current state of things indicates steady growth of MLS viewership over the next decade, which will also positively impact the fans of sports betting and give them more markets to bet on and more stars to watch live.