Read 6 minutesNew Jersey19 Jul 2026 09:22 AM IST
Outside the Atlanta Stadium after the England-Argentina thriller, James Brown wearily unfolds his makeshift stall that sold World Cup memorabilia. He’s throwing away stacks of leftovers, caps and t-shirts before the place is completely empty. “I might open the store tomorrow, some fans might be lingering, but I’ll miss the World Cup,” he says.
A mechanic at a highway tire shop, he says he was never a football fan. His only motive was to make quick money. “I’m a footy guy, that’s what I’ve been watching and playing since my childhood. Soccer, well, nobody watches the game on TV at home. But here I had to learn because I was dealing with soccer fans and I wanted to look knowledgeable,” he says. “But the more I watched, the more I enjoyed it and the USMNT is doing well. I want them to be in the final,” he says.
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Football frenzy reached its peak as the national team produced thrilling performances until they were knocked out by Belgium in the round of 16. All the stadiums were packed, even those not willing to watch the game filled the stands to cheer for their country. According to the Sports Business Journal, the tournament averages 64,511 fans for an occupancy rate of 99.7%. An estimated 6.5 million people watched from the stands. The dynamic pricing that made the tickets affordable deterred numerous fans, but still many tuned in to the streaming platform.
American Outlaws member John Davis remembers a middle-aged real estate agent in his front seat in Seattle. “He kept asking me about this rule and that, he got a little irritated, but I was happy because even those who didn’t know the game were passionate about the game. The followers were cut across age groups, but most of them were 20-25 year olds. So I believe this is a good sign for the popularity of the game in the US,” he said.
He says he also met Americans who passionately supported other teams. “During the match against Argentina I met dozens of local, non-immigrant people supporting Egypt. I have never encountered such people during COPA (in 2024),” he says.
A Statista Insights survey revealed that 46 percent of the country’s youth watched the tournament. It drops to 30 percent in the 50-65 age group. “Practically it’s a young game in the country and naturally, most of its followers are young. I remember it was like that in 1994, but things are different in this generation, when leagues are watched abroad and social media platforms keep their interest. I wouldn’t say it’s still mainstream,” but it’s there.
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US soccer fans with a group of American Outlaws supporters during a live broadcast of the World Cup Round of 16 match between the United States and Belgium at The Leinster Irish Pub in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Vincent Córdoba of Uruguay FC, an amateur football club, says the wider impact of the tournament will be felt in just over a decade. “The real thing is whether the sport has fascinated the youth, whether they are starting to dream of becoming footballers, whether America is becoming a powerhouse. I think this World Cup will attract more young people to the sport,” he says.
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Every host city was drenched in World Cup frenzy. Pubs in Boston run out of beer, thanks to high-scoring Scots. Atlanta’s famous Southern cuisine joint had lines of furlongs; The nights never ended in Philadelphia’s Chinatown, and Times Square was a planet unto itself, a favorite for visiting fans, a haven for impromptu watch parties and a fusion of cultures, and some even played football in the street. Mickey Dane, who runs a Thai restaurant on 41st Street, says he never expected the atmosphere to be so electrifying. “Times Square is always buzzing, but not on this scale and not for so long. I made friends from Turkey, Senegal and Argentina,” he says.
The quality of play increased the number of fans. As the matches drew to a close, all the superstars except Cristiano Ronaldo were stunned; New stars are born; Perceived minnows were shocked and the established order panicked. There was never a dull day at the tournament. Doubts before the competition cleared. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) rarely evicted immigrants from stadiums. The controversy surrounding the denied visas and the treatment of the Iran team was quickly forgotten. Even the President Donald TrumpThe hero made only two cameo appearances in the build-up to the tournament. The disgraced figure was involved in persuading FIFA boss and friend Gianni Infantino to overturn Folarin Balogun’s red-card-induced suspension. “It will stick out like a sore thumb and hurt the image of American soccer,” Davis says.
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A fan arrives for Argentina’s rally on the eve of the World Cup final in New York’s Times Square. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
The second was a closed-door, private event with Infantino and football celebrities. “The American dream, Mr. President, has come true,” Infantino told Trump in New York on Friday. “We united the world.” Trump called it “one of the all-time great sporting events in history”.
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However, according to Forbes, the US economy did not reach the heights that had been predicted. A FIFA analysis estimated that the World Cup would ship $30.5 billion into the US economy, an estimate based on the huge influx of international spending. But as per National Travel and Tourism Office estimates, the country has seen a growth of only 0.2 percent of passengers. But beyond the cut-throat finances, stocks and checks, this was a World Cup where America fell in love with football (even Trump called it football and suggested renaming American football) and football fell in love with America.
And when the tournament is over and the stalls and stands are packed, America will miss the game called soccer.