Gotham FC owner looks to turn World Cup surge into local soccer fans

The 2026 FIFA World Cup has delivered broad attention for soccer in North America, and Gotham FC investor Carolyn Tisch Blodgett is trying to convert that surge into lasting support for a local club. Fortune reported that Tisch Blodgett, CEO and founder of sports investment firm Next 3, sees the tournament as a chance to build a deeper fan base for the National Women’s Soccer League team.

Fortune described the World Cup so far as a commercial and cultural success, citing record TV audiences, packed stadiums, heavy tourist activity and strong showings by the three host countries before each was eliminated in the round of 16. FIFA is also set to distribute a record $871 million to the 48 teams in the tournament, according to Fortune.

The open question for soccer executives is whether that attention will last after the final whistle. Fortune noted that soccer has passed baseball in U.S. popularity while still trailing basketball and football, leaving room for clubs to turn casual interest into regular attendance, merchandise sales and sponsorship value.

Tisch Blodgett told Fortune during the Aspen Ideas Festival that the World Cup has helped get Americans engaged with soccer. “What we don’t know is how much that will translate into fandom for local teams,” she said.

Next 3 invests across sports properties, including Gotham FC, which Fortune identified as a professional women’s soccer team based in New Jersey and New York and the reigning NWSL champion. Tisch Blodgett’s challenge is different from the men’s World Cup spotlight: the women’s World Cup is scheduled for next year in Brazil, while the current tournament features men’s national teams.

Fortune reported that the U.S. Women’s National Team remains better known than the men’s team and has had a stronger competitive record, but women’s soccer has long faced weaker backing. The publication cited the U.S. women’s team’s equal-pay fight and noted that women’s games at one point brought in more revenue than men’s games.

Gotham FC is using the World Cup moment to stage a higher-profile match in New York. The club is scheduled to play an exhibition against the Washington Spirit at Citi Field on July 15, according to Fortune and MLB ticket information.

The match has sold more than 29,000 tickets, Fortune reported, with 70% purchased by first-time buyers. Gotham FC has said the sales broke a New York City attendance record for women’s sports.

Tisch Blodgett is also working on longer-term infrastructure. Fortune reported that she is in talks to move Gotham FC to a new stadium in New York City and is developing a dedicated training facility. She said the club had been “basically third-fiddle to 15-year-old boys” at a Red Bull facility in New Jersey.

Inside the organization, Tisch Blodgett told Fortune she has changed the team’s staffing approach by prioritizing professional expertise over enthusiasm for the sport. “People over-index on passion,” she said, adding that she wants “the people who are best at what they do.”

She is also testing artificial intelligence and pitching sponsors with a digital and community-centered plan aimed at local soccer interest, according to Fortune. Tisch Blodgett compared the approach to a management version of “Moneyball” and said she feels she is in “inning zero of using AI inside sports.”

Her stated ambition is broad. “My goal is to define women’s sports,” Tisch Blodgett told Fortune. “We should be the team that when people around the world say, ‘This is my favorite team,’ they talk about Gotham.”

This story draws on original reporting from Fortune.