World Cup Kicks Off A Pivotal Decade Of World Championships In U.S.

Samuel Hymes understands the value of sports diplomacy astatine large world events specified arsenic the World Cup.

Photo courtesy of Samuel Hymes

The 2026 FIFA World Cup turned retired to beryllium 1 memorable event, but it was hardly a stand-alone world extravaganza.

As it turns out, the quadrennial tourney is positioned to footwear disconnected a pivotal decade of world sporting championships successful the United States, says strategical advisor and Harvard Fellow Samuel Hymes.

He noted that the U.S. faces an unprecedented opportunity, and if the powers that beryllium do the correct things, mostly disconnected the playing field, it could spell a agelong measurement successful helping what he calls sports diplomacy.

"The precocious introduced American Decade of Sports Act reflects a increasing nickname that these events should not beryllium treated arsenic isolated spectacles, but arsenic portion of a longer nationalist strategy," Hymes said recently, which he besides wrote successful a insubstantial looking astatine the future.

Over the adjacent 8 years, the U.S. will big respective awesome sporting world championships. Here is the awesome database of events:

* 2027 Military World Games (for subject sportspeople) successful Charlotte, N.C.

* 2028 Summer Olympics and Paralympics successful Los Angeles

* 2031 Men's Rugby World Cup

* 2033 Women's Rugby World Cup

* 2034 Winter Olympics and Paralympics successful Salt Lake City

A sixth world title is expected to beryllium added to the database by FIFA astatine its Extraordinary Congress successful Zurich, Switzerland connected Nov. 23. The U.S., on pinch co-hosts Mexico, Costa Rica, and Jamaica, are the lone candidates.

The value of sports diplomacy

Sports diplomacy, which is fundamentally soft power, tin spell a agelong measurement successful helping a state solidify amended relationships pinch the remainder of the world.

"That strategy matters because the benefits could beryllium acold greater than summons income and tv ratings," Hymes stated. "If handled well, this decade of sports could thief the state fortify world relationships, amended nationalist diplomacy, pull finance and tourism, support American business, grow taste influence, and build people-to-people ties that outlast immoderate azygous event. In a infinitesimal erstwhile America’s image overseas is often filtered done governmental polarization and geopolitical competition, awesome sporting events connection a different benignant of stage—one wherever competence, openness, and taste assurance tin speak louder than charismatic messaging."

Before this year's tournament, which was co-hosted by Mexico, Canada and the USA, Hymes stated that "the World Cup is 1 of the fewer events powerful capable to style really a federation is seen successful existent time."

Hymes felt that the 2026 World Cup was a premier example. Due to the exorbitant summons value contention that dominated headlines earlier the tournament, location was overmuch trepidation astir really the World Cup would beryllium received by the U.S. and the remainder of North America.

A grounds 6,810,966 spectators attended games successful 104 matches successful 16 venues crossed the USA, Mexico and Canada.

"I deliberation group tin return a sigh of alleviation that the World Cup was a resounding success," Hymes said. "Prior to the World Cup, for my research, galore media were acrophobic to moreover talk astir this World Cup, moreover from circumstantial sports publications. They really said much astir the World Cup starring into Qatar 2022. But the 1 astir our backyard made a batch of america very nervous, specifically. So, I deliberation aft looking back, this is truthful exciting. And I emotion really we're already talking astir the excitement of 2038, which I deliberation conscionable shows really awesome and really excited we are."

Hymes meant location has been talk of the U.S. hosting the 2038 World Cup, 3 cycles down the road. But we'll woody pinch that successful a while.

Players clasp cities, fans clasp teams

Beyond Spain winning its 2nd World Cup down an impressive, new-look defense that was almost intolerable to crack, Hymes felt that the biggest victories came disconnected the playing field.

Many cities embraced teams, and overseas spectators embraced galore cities. For example, Algerian, Argentine, and English fans were welcomed by the citizens of Kansas City, and the states of Kansas, and Missouri.

Visiting fans sometimes stole the show and headlines pinch their behaviour and enthusiasm. Whether it was a march to the game, invading aliases taking complete Times Square successful New York City by the dozens aliases hundreds, aliases the Scottish supporters drinking Boston dry, immoderate of the astir entertaining and unforgettable moments came good disconnected the pitch.

During and aft games, Norway's fans performed the Row With Me routine, which the squad recreated aft the last whistle. And who was beating the drum? Team leader Erling Haaland.

"It's conscionable everything, moreover from players really embracing the American culture," Hymes said. "I deliberation Haaland really embraced Texas. He was 1 of the group that really embraced the American civilization the best."

The first World Cup last halftime show

And speaking of culture, Hymes said the halftime show astatine the last astatine MetLife Stadium successful East Rutherford, N.J. connected July 19 turned retired to beryllium a success. Halftime for players usually lasts astir 15 minutes. The halftime show lasted 27 minutes.

Madonna, Shakira, BTS and Justin Bieber were among the performers.

"The halftime show was really thing that very accepted shot fans were worried about," he said. "But now I deliberation that's going to beryllium thing that's going to hap again moving guardant because of really powerful it was. It had the awesome Ronaldinho and Ronaldo. You had Madonna there. I deliberation it's going to beryllium thing that's going to beryllium much of a request for the adjacent clip they person it."

Hymes added the 3 big countries worked seamlessly together earlier and during the competition. The U.S. was location to 11 venues, Mexico 3 and Canada two.

"I thought we were capable to activity really good together," he said. "It decidedly helped. Especially location is nary amended instrumentality than athletics to link different countries. I cognize successful the past location whitethorn person been different places of mediocre relationships, but this really brought each 3 countries together. Especially astatine the extremity erstwhile we had each the leaders handing retired the medals. I deliberation it was really symbolic of a awesome narration that is going to advancement moving forward.”

U.S. President Donald Trump, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney handed retired medals astatine the final.

A learning acquisition for Americans

The World Cup besides enabled Americans to study a small much astir the world.

The astonishing occurrence of Cape Verde turned galore heads. The African broadside drew their 3 group shape matches. That included playing eventual champion Spain to a scoreless draw. Cape Verde besides made Lionel Messi and Argentina sweat earlier succumbing successful other clip successful the Round of 32. An expanded World Cup, from 32 to 48 teams, allowed Cape Verde to compete successful the tourney for the first time.

"Cape Verde is 1 of the exciting, awesome stories from having much teams successful the World Cup," Hymes said. "Many group did not cognize wherever it was connected the map. They made a beardown presence. It's specified an inspirational story. It's 1 of the feel-good stories. More countries were capable to beryllium connected halfway shape successful the world, and group wanted to study much astir their country."

And the USMNT besides sounded successful connected the transportation

The U.S. Men's National Team's occurrence besides helped the World Cup scope a higher level, and Americans bonded while watching the team, whether it was astatine location aliases astatine Fan Fests. Hymes attended Fan Fests astatine the National Mall successful Washington, D.C. and noted the capacity crowds and passionate responses. The U.S. squad won doubly successful the opening information for only the 2nd clip successful cup history, and recorded 3 victories successful a tourney for the first time, while reaching the knockout round. The USA, however, was eliminated by Belgium successful the Round of 16, successful a 4-1 loss.

"I loved seeing the United States nationalist squad play together," Hymes said. "You tin spot the passion passim the group stage. I deliberation it really was symbolic of really to build the state amended from a shot perspective. Soccer has been the astir played athletics since the 70s by the youth. But because we person each these different options, group stray distant from it. People were coming to different destinations to not only spot the games but to beryllium extracurricular the stadiums, spell to FIFA instrumentality cities pinch FIFA Fan Zones to watch them connected a larger screen."

When FIFA awarded the U.S. the 1994 World Cup successful 1988, the U.S. Soccer Federation needed to create a First Division aft the tournament. In 1996, Major League Soccer debuted pinch 10 teams. It has grown to 30 clubs.

Asked what the effect of the 2026 arena could person connected American soccer, Hymes replied, "I deliberation it's going to show players from overseas that we person a superior instrumentality guidelines here, particularly players that are not leaving. They mightiness not beryllium successful their prime, but they're still exciting. They want to travel present erstwhile they're considering they person each these awesome options and places to go."

FIFA reportedly will make successful the vicinity of $15 cardinal from the World Cup. Hymes felt that U.S. Soccer should get immoderate of the money back.

"Absolutely, I deliberation it should spell backmost to the big country," he said. "I deliberation that's very important because we want to turn the crippled present and make it much of a priority. We person much options successful different countries. We person football, basketball, way and field, shot and each the different sports that we are ascendant in.

“If FIFA made billions of dollars, we should get immoderate of those billions too.”

Looking toward the future

And astir the 2038 World Cup. There's talk of the tourney returning to the USA sooner than expected.

"Well, nary state should person it back-to-back years," Hymes said. "I deliberation the champion portion astir the crippled of shot is it's global, and it should spell to different countries arsenic well. We are presently successful the third-longest drought successful our country's history of not hosting a world sporting event. The past arena we had was the Salt Lake City Olympics successful 2002. Because we're successful the caller decade of sport, it's a awesome and cleanable timeline from this World Cup to the adjacent one.

"It besides has shown that projections show that shot is going to beryllium moreover much celebrated astatine the time. It's going to beryllium moreover much of an breathtaking time."

With 2038, however, we're getting conscionable a spot up of ourselves complete the adjacent decade. Hymes stated that pinch the six and possibly 7 big-time sporting tournaments that the U.S. will host, the adjacent 10 years coming a unsocial opportunity that cannot beryllium missed.

“This is what makes the American decade of sports specified an important nationalist opportunity," he added. "At its best, it could thief the United States modernize really it thinks astir nationalist diplomacy, fortify coordination betwixt authorities and the sports industry, create economical and civic benefits successful big communities, and task a much assured and connected image to the world. It could besides promote the state to dainty athletics not arsenic a distraction from superior affairs, but arsenic 1 of the arenas successful which superior affairs now play out.

“But that result is not automatic. A decade of awesome events only becomes a nationalist advantage if the state has the imagination to spot athletics arsenic portion of a broader strategical agenda. That is the situation embedded successful the American Decade of Sports Act and successful the larger speech [I’m] trying to bring into the mainstream. The World Cup is the beginning, not the end. The mobility is whether the United States is fresh to usage this opening infinitesimal to build thing bigger - for its world standing, its economy, and its consciousness of nationalist purpose.”

Michael Lewis, the sixth recipient of the Clay Berling Media Career of Excellence Award successful 2025, tin beryllium followed connected X an Bluesky astatine @Soccerwriter. His 10th shot book, Around the World Cup successful 40 Years: An American sportswriter’s perspective, has been published.