Manchester City become ‘most followed team’ in the United States – Club account for six out of ten highest-viewed matches

Premier League champions Manchester City have now established themselves as the ‘most followed team’ in the United States, according to new figures.

The latest details will only come as a further boost to Etihad Stadium officials, in light of their strategic decision to take Pep Guardiola and his squad across the Atlantic Ocean this summer for their 2024 pre-season tour.

Manchester City will embark on a quartet of matches in the United States this summer ahead of the 2024/25 season, which could prove to be the final campaign under the coaching and leadership of Pep Guardiola.

Supporters over in the United States will have the opportunity to see the four-time successive Premier League champions take on Celtic, Barcelona, AC Milan, and Chelsea within the space of two weeks, whilst also experiencing the club’s newest signings in their fresh kit range.

However, while the experience for Manchester City’s players will no doubt be beneficial from a performance and fitness perspective, the opportunity to show off their profiles in the USA has enormous commercial benefits, with data to back it up too.

As per new information provided by Manchester City insider ‘Tolmie’s Hairdoo’ on X, the Etihad Stadium club have now become the ‘most followed team’ in the United States.

It is revealed that new US TV figures have shown a four per cent increase for Premier League audiences, with the average Premier League viewership now standing at approximately 546,000.

When it comes to Manchester City in particular, Pep Guardiola’s side reportedly account for six out of 10 of the highest viewed matches, with a new US record of 2.6 million tuning in to see Manchester City host Arsenal last season.

Manchester City themselves are claimed to feel that their regular pre-season tours to the USA have attracted a ‘considerable market share’ of supporters aged 11-26 and in Hispanic communities.

Ahead of the most recent campaign, Manchester City took the opportunity to try and capitalise on their increasingly popular profile in the Far-East, with the club taking on Yokohama F. Marinos, Bayern Munich, and Atletico Madrid in Japan and South Korea.

Some have been critical of top-level professional football teams travelling to all corners of the globe for pre-season preparations, insisting that opportunities should be taken to benefit teams in their local regions in non-competitive fixtures.

However, the commercial benefits of foreign pre-season tours are becoming more and more important as the game and particular leagues continue to thrive in terms of popularity further afield.