The well-documented antics of Scotland’s “Tartan Army” soccer fans in Boston were what first attracted Indiana car salesman Jamie Druley to the World Cup, and now the sport has him completely hooked.

“I thought, you know what? I’m going to watch some of this World Cup and see what made these people travel, in many cases, thousands of miles and spend thousands of dollars… to be here and support their nation in this global competition,” Druley, 51, a father of three, told the BBC.

Before long, his wife was texting him from the bedroom with instructions to calm down while he yelled at the living room TV.

When things were slow at work, he and his colleagues would light matches in the showroom; England’s semi-final against Argentina became “heated” with banter and shouting, he says, and ended with a bet between Druley and his boss for Sunday’s final.

Druley, who describes himself as “obsessed with the NFL,” is even considering purchasing season tickets for his new local soccer club, Fort Wayne FC, which opened a 9,200-seat stadium this year.

And he’s not alone in this new passion: countless Americans are proclaiming themselves new, avid soccer fans thanks to the United States co-hosting the 2026 tournament.

Fox reported that 30 million viewers watched the broadcast of the United States’ loss to Belgium, which Fox said made it the most-watched English-language soccer broadcast in U.S. history.

An average of 5.1 million American viewers watched 72 matches on Fox, FS1 and Tubi, a 92% increase over the 2022 World Cup, according to Nielsen Media Research.

Pennsylvania mother Courtney Silbaugh, 33, was among those fans.

“I’ve watched every game except six,” said Silbaugh, who describes herself as “not a sports spectator at all.”

“I tried to look [American] American football; “It didn’t work,” he said. “I went to a couple of baseball games, but I don’t have the best vision, so it’s hard to see the ball. I just couldn’t understand most of it.”

But now she is “obsessed” and said her favorite sport is “definitely soccer.” “I’m understanding the game better by watching the World Cup… than by watching recreational leagues.”