Ken Griffin’s soccer funding comes into focus after US World Cup exit

The U.S. men’s national team is out of the World Cup after a 4-1 loss to Belgium in Seattle, but its run ended with a new marker for soccer’s growth in the country. Fox said the round-of-16 match became the most-watched soccer telecast in U.S. history, with 30 million viewers and a peak above 36.8 million between 9:15 and 9:30 p.m. ET.

Fortune reported that the audience surpassed a record set one week earlier, when the U.S. match against Bosnia and Herzegovina drew 26.4 million viewers. The defeat also eliminated the last of the tournament’s three co-hosts, according to Fortune.

Citadel founder and CEO Ken Griffin, whose money helped U.S. Soccer hire Mauricio Pochettino as head coach, told Fortune he was encouraged by the team’s direction. “I’m pleased to see the progress the U.S. Men’s National Team has made under Mauricio’s leadership and the excitement this World Cup has generated across America,” Griffin said. “I look forward to building on that momentum in the coming years.”

How Griffin became part of the coaching deal

Reuters reported that the effort to hire a high-profile coach began after Scott Goodwin, co-founder of Diameter Capital Partners, sent an informal text to friends. According to Reuters, Goodwin later spoke with U.S. Soccer chief executive JT Batson, who said the federation could not afford its top coaching targets.

Goodwin then contacted Griffin, according to a Citadel spokesperson cited by Reuters. The spokesperson said Griffin made the largest financial contribution among a group of benefactors who supported the hiring of Pochettino.

Fortune reported that U.S. Soccer does not receive direct government funding and relies on revenue, sponsorships and donations. The federation had $264 million in revenue last year, including $50 million in donations, with more than half of that giving restricted in how it could be used, according to Fortune.

Pochettino, who previously coached Tottenham Hotspur, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea, joined the U.S. team on a two-year contract after the Americans were knocked out of the 2024 Copa America, Fortune reported. Tax filings cited by Fortune showed he was paid more than $5 million in his first seven months, including a signing bonus of about $2.5 million, and his base salary is about $6 million a year.

A longer record of soccer giving

Fortune reported that Griffin has a personal history with soccer that dates to childhood. He started playing at age 6, played on a Florida high school team that finished as a state runner-up, and later continued playing and coaching, including teams for his children.

His soccer philanthropy has included a $3 million gift in 2017 for 50 mini-pitches in Chicago, where Citadel was then based, and a $5 million gift in 2023 for 50 more in Miami-Dade County after the firm moved its headquarters there, according to Fortune. Fortune reported that the 100 mini-pitches have served more than 100,000 children and families in underserved areas.

The U.S. Soccer Foundation gave Griffin its #10 Award this year, recognizing him as its most impactful philanthropist, Fortune reported. The publication also reported that Griffin has donated an estimated $2 billion overall to charitable causes, including a recent $26 million gift for a Theodore Roosevelt presidential library.

Griffin’s World Cup-related giving also extended to fan access, according to Fortune. Griffin Catalyst funded nonprofit watch parties at Miami mini-pitches, sponsored the FIFA Fan Festival Miami and became an Official Miami World Cup 2026 Host City Supporter. Fortune reported that Griffin and Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross donated more than 1,200 World Cup tickets to young people served by Boys & Girls Clubs in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties.

This story draws on original reporting from Fortune.