South Korea tops Alaska’s list of unofficial second teams for FIFA World Cup 2026

Published 4:30 pm Friday, June 19, 2026

With FIFA World Cup 2026 in full swing across North America, a new study has revealed the soccer nations that Alaska fans may be most likely to adopt as their unofficial “second teams” during the tournament.

Covers.com analyzed foreign-born population data for countries competing in this year’s World Cup to identify where each nation has its strongest local community presence across the U.S. While Team USA is clearly the main event, the findings suggest that many Alaskans could also have a very personal reason to cheer for another of the 48 countries in the expanded format, with South Korea topping the list.

The Republic of Korea is Alaska’s strongest World Cup connection, with 3,188 foreign-born South Korean residents and a 2.50 over-index score, which shows where each country has a stronger-than-average community presence. A score of 1.00 represents the national average, while a score above 1.00 indicates that a country is over-represented in that state compared to the nation overall.

The high index score makes the Taegeuk Warriors the state’s clearest second-team storyline during World Cup 2026.

“In a place where communities can feel tightly-knit and international ties often stand out more clearly than in larger states, South Korea’s matches could have a surprisingly personal feel for some Alaska fans — less random World Cup viewing, more “we’ve got a local reason to care about this one,” Covers.com stated.

Germany ranked second in Alaska, with 1,322 foreign-born German residents and an over-index score of 2.04.

“That is a solid local connection for a country that hardly needs help attracting neutral support,” Covers.com added.

“Germany already brings the tournament pedigree, the big-match aura, and the familiar World Cup drama; Alaska adds a diaspora link that could make those white, black, red, and gold shirts feel a little less distant when the tournament arrives.”

A separate survey by Covers.com of 1,500 respondents found that 36 percent of Americans say that they are likely to support another country during the World Cup, in addition to Team USA.

The most common reason for backing a second team was surprisingly not family heritage, nor favourite players or style of play. The top answer, with 23 percent, said that they just wanted Team USA rivals to lose. Family heritage or ancestry followed with 20 percent, while 13 percent said they would support another country because they liked its players.

Eleven percent said they are drawn to a country or its culture, 10 percent said they usually root for underdog teams, and nine percent said they like a team’s style of play.

Fifty-nine percent also said that they would continue to watch the tournament if the U.S. were knocked out, suggesting that World Cup interest will stay alive if Team USA exits early, and 63 percent said they would be more likely to support a country if they had ancestral or family ties there.

Seventy-nine percent said they would support Team USA, while 21 percent said that they would back their heritage country instead. Thirty-seven percent also said that they would don another country’s jersey during the tournament.

“The World Cup is often talked about as a national event, but in America it will also be deeply local,” said Pete Watt of Covers.com. “A bar in Miami, a community center in Providence, a restaurant in Dearborn, or a neighborhood in Queens could all feel like home turf for completely different countries.”

Watt added that this is what makes the 2026 tournament so fascinating, that it is not just one host nation’s story but rather hundreds of community stories happening at the same time.”