A packed bar on a Wednesday afternoon isn't common, but when Argentina beat England in the 2026 World Cup semifinal, it was standing room only at the British Bulldog pub off Broadway.
While football may not be "coming home" to England this year, it may have a place to rest here in the United States.
Soccer sign ups are rising across Denver.
“It's our No. 2 sport, and it's trailing really closely behind volleyball, which is something we've never seen before here in Denver,” said Lillie Aliff, a field marketing coordinator for Volo Sports in Denver.
⚽️ WATCH: Denver7's Alex Dowd reports on rising soccer sign-ups amid World Cup fever
Volo is a recreational league offering organized sports for players of all levels. While Volleyball has consistently been their more popular sport, Aliff says they're seeing some competition from soccer.
First-time registrations for soccer are up 21% since last year, with 6,000 players joining in just the last three months.
“World Cup stuff has been a huge factor in that,” Aliff said.
That trend has trickled into youth soccer as well, according to Alana Chubb, community outreach coordinator for nonprofit youth soccer program Colorado Storm.
“As soon as we as a club knew [The World Cup] was coming," she said, "we buckled our seatbelts and figured out."
Chubb counted one in five players at this year's summer camps that were new to the sport.
“They're seeing all these players or these games that are being played in their country, and now they want to try it," she said.
Alexdiana Cruz from Colorado Phoenix FC saw something similar.
"Seeing the world’s best teams compete makes their dreams feel more real. It inspires them to work harder, believe in themselves, and imagine that one day they could represent their country on that same stage," she said.
Now, their goal is to keep the football frenzy created by the tournament.
"We have to make sure that we have a pathway for them," Chubb said. "Not just the advanced kids, but the kids is what I call the green bananas — the ones that aren't ripe yet, but they're just as good.”
She recalled a similar surge in soccer interest when National Women's Soccer League team the Denver Summit first laced their cleats up in Denver at the start of 2025.
“Now the girls have a pathway on their own," Chubb said. "Now, they have confidence, and they have a sight to where they could go.”
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