From record viewership to unlikely friendships, how soccer won the World Cup
Christian Science Monitor · C · trust 43/100
| Jon Durr/ IMAGN IMAGES/Reuters A children's choir from Staten Island in New York performs during halftime at the World Cup championship match between Argentina and Spain, in East Rutherford, New Jersey, July 19, 2026. TV viewership of the tournament broke records in the U.S. Loading...
In the end, the 2026 World Cup was about the beautiful game – but it was also about so much more. It was about opposing players who embraced, prayed together, or exchanged jerseys after the final whistle. It was about fans from winning teams comforting those on the losing side. It was about hundreds of people who gathered in Kansas dressed in green, white, or red, forming a giant human Algerian flag. It was about Scottish fans in kilts crowning statues in Boston with traffic-cone hats.
Before anyone tallies receipts or debates whether FIFA delivered on promises of an economic windfall, the tournament’s most enduring legacy might prove harder to measure. For 39 days, the World Cup reminded millions that the greatest moments in sport aren’t always the ones recorded on the scoreboard.
“It was such a great symbol of how this game can bring people together. It’s not always about winning. Joy doesn’t have to be about bringing home the championship, but rather ... [being with] your family or your fellow countrymen,” says Declan Abernethy, a lecturer in sports, society, and technology at Georgia Tech in Atlanta, who attended six World Cup matches. “For some of these smaller nations ... it was a great opportunity for them to show off.”
Co-hosting the World Cup offered the U.S. an opportunity for a global image boost and an economic bump. As cities begin to take stock of its impact, the tournament has already proved a boon for fans of cultural exchanges and the beautiful game.
It’s true. Who had ever seen Curaçao play before this tournament? How many Americans knew New England was home to one of the largest Cape Verdean communities in the world? Or had met someone from Uzbekistan?
Peter Cziborra/Reuters Cape Verde fans watch their team play Uruguay at a fan festival in Boston, June 21, 2026. Host cities throughout the United States drew crowds to their fan zones. But perhaps the biggest winner was soccer itself. More than 6.8 million people attended one of the 104 matches across 16 cities in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Even people who couldn’t afford a ticket found ways to experience the tournament – by packing fan zones, finding a watch party, or tuning in from home in record numbers. Team USA’s match against Belgium, the most-watched soccer game in U.S. history, drew an average of 33.1 million viewers on Fox. Over the steady march to the final match between Spain and Argentina, TV viewership continued to break records in the U.S.
Were viewers tuning in to see Argentina’s Lionel Messi execute another brilliant pass? Or to see France’s Kylian Mbappé earn the Golden Boot by scoring the most goals of the tournament? Or was it moments of unexpected drama and theater – the sight of a hulking Erling Haaland beating a drum while Norway’s players and thousands of fans rowed together after a stunning upset of Brazil? The nail-biting finish when Egypt almost knocked out Argentina? Or the 10-goal thriller as France and England battled for third place, scoring the most goals in a single World Cup match since 1982?
Lynne Sladky/AP French striker Kylian Mbappé delivers a kick during the third-place match against England, July 18, 2026. Mr. Mbappé won the Golden Boot, given to the player who scores the most goals during the tournament. For many Americans, it was a sudden awakening, falling fast and hard for not only world-class soccer but also its culture , singing rituals , and personalities, even though Belgium knocked the host U.S. team out in the Round of 16 amid the nation’s 250th birthday party.
“It was, overall, a great celebration of soccer in this country. We showed that we’re ready to go to games and willing to spend our money on it,” says Dr. Abernethy.
In many ways, the U.S. was much more prepared to host the World Cup than it was in 1994. Perhaps nowhere more so than Atlanta. The city didn’t host matches during the 1994 World Cup, and when it hosted the 1996 Summer Olympics, soccer matches were held elsewhere. But today, Atlanta has a thriving soccer culture, from professional teams to competitive and recreational adult leagues to mini soccer pitches at transit stops, operated by the nonprofit Soccer in the Streets. Recently, the U.S. Soccer Federation moved its headquarters to the south of the city. This summer, the infrastructure put in place for the 1996 Games easily and affordably moved large crowds through downtown to the stadium, says Dr. Abernethy.
Charlie Riedel/AP Fans of the U.S. men's national team watch as the Americans faced Belgium in their Round of 16 match, in Kansas City, Missouri, July 6, 2026. Belgium won 4-1. Nearby Lawrence, Kansas, drew attention during the tournament for the bond it forged with Algeria's team. “I think we’ll probably see a long-term, steady, continual growth [in the U.S.], whether it’s youth soccer or adult soccer,” he adds.
Yes, there were difficult moments that underscored current tensions that drew attention away from the pitch, placing political weight on the tournament. A Somali referee with appropriate visas, Omar Artan, was denied entry into the United States because of what American officials described as suspected ties to terror organizations. Iran had to move its training base to Mexico, even though it played all of its matches in the U.S., and complained bitterly about the treatment it received. When the U.S. faced Belgium, it was under the shadow of President Donald Trump’s call to FIFA about a controversial red card against American striker Folarin Balogun.
And, yes, it appears the big economic winners from this cup will be FIFA and its corporate sponsorships. But that’s not what most people will remember. In Lawrence, Kansas, the…
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