Democrats are hoping World Cup fever can boost their voter base.
The Democratic National Committee is launching a nationwide voter registration drive during the World Cup final, sending organizers, volunteers, and staff to FIFA fan zones, sports bars, and watch parties, Politico reported.
Spain faces Argentina in the highly anticipated World Cup final at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on Sunday at 3 p.m. EDT.
Democrats are hoping to register 3,000 new voters, Politico reported.
"From outside FIFA Fan Zones and at World Cup watch parties to bars, restaurants and parks, we'll spend the weekend registering thousands of new Democrats and having conversations about how we win races up and down the ballot," DNC Chair Ken Martin said in a statement.
Democrats will be in two dozen states, including battleground states like Arizona and Pennsylvania. Democrats plan to register voters throughout Arizona, including in Phoenix, Chandler, Tempe, Tucson, and Yuma, according to Politico.
"The power in sport is that people gather. It creates a sense of belonging," Lee Igel, a professor of global sport at New York University, told Politico.
"If you want to get 3,000 people registered to vote at a watch party for a sports mega-event, you'd be hard-pressed not to get closer to 30,000 people."
Igel told Politico that politicians, including New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, have used sports to boost their political campaigns.
"Sport is fun and games, but the attention it attracts in communities — from eyeballs to people in person — is enormous," he said.
Democrats have made registering young voters ahead of the 2026 midterm elections a priority as part of the party's "When We Count" initiative, Politico reported. About one-third of the program's fellows are native Spanish speakers.
Democrats are also holding a four-part national training series to teach more than 1,500 people how to register new voters, Politico reported.
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