We take a break from the ongoing tiebreakers that have punctuated the early matches of the 2026 FIFA World Cup to salute, well, us. We’re a hit!
No, this isn’t a statement about the promising and hopefully ascending United States team.
This is about us as in the United States of America.
We’re one of three countries — along with Canada and Mexico — that are hosting the month-long tournament. And we’re capturing the imagination of much of the world.
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We know this because the fans visiting from all over the planet are telling us we’re doing good. We’re putting on a good show. We’ve rolled out the welcome mat and treated them to a good time.
Consider:
Scotland’s so-called Tartan Army has come to Boston and loved it. And just to make sure we’re aware, the fans staying at a local Airbnb woke up their temporary neighbors at 6:30 one morning with their bagpipes blaring. And the neighbors apparently loved it.
Another Scot has been traveling the entire country.
“I’ve been on freeways, highways, every single American road I can think of,” the kilt-wearing lad told Sky News.
He went on to say nice things about us but we cannot quote him because we speak English over here and didn’t quite understand his thick brogue.
One thing that didn’t need a translation app was the reaction of another Scottish fan getting his first view of the New England Patriots cheerleaders on the big screen in Foxborough. His jaw dropped.
And, of course, there’s the Europeans who’ve never traveled here before stunned and suddenly in love with …
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Barbeque.
Wal-Mart — one guy called it “literally like a museum.”
Ice cube dispensers at fast food places.
Buc-ee’s.
In-N-Out.
Chicken and waffles.
Air conditioning.
One German soccer fan who goes by the handle of @FreddyLA7 on X has gone viral during his six-week tour of America en route to various matches. He’s marveled at Americana in all its glory while visiting Waffle House (at 1 a.m., of course), Taco Bell, and hotels, including the one provided to him in Houston courtesy of former NFL star J.J. Watt.
The dude has gone so viral on his trip that when he crossed the state line into Louisiana, there was a homemade welcome sign affixed to the official state welcome sign.
And you know what? Our new German friend apparently loves it in America based on his commentary.
All of this might be sort of surprising to some. We’ve been bombarded by the self-loathing, America-hating cult that lives among us and incessantly shrieks about us being on stolen land. These haters fly some other country’s flag while diminishing ours.
We’ve been told by them and the polls that they’re not proud to be American because we’re the world’s bully, and we’re evil, and we deserve to fade into memory without so much as one last grasp at relevance.
The America haters have told us we’re awful so often that some of us have started to question whether that is how the rest of the world sees us.
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And now, lo and behold, we’re hearing from a bunch of visiting foreigners that America is actually pretty awesome. Their message has been that America is generally a cool place to hold the championship for the world’s most popular sport.
That’s the message from our visitors who seem to love our country more than a troubling portion of our own population.
This, of course, is problematic for the homegrown haters because the opposing opinion from neutral outsiders weakens their argument and should strengthen our resolve.
So let me preview the next chapter of the haters’ playbook: They’re going to shift the narrative to America being a place you might like to visit, but would never want to live in. That will be their response made utterly weak by the fact these haters live here and don’t show any signs of wanting to leave.
(No one ever said they made any sense.)
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Anyway, when people like this get in your ear, remind them how the rest of the world is reacting. The Japanese are in awe of how big Texas is. The Brazilians had a party in Times Square. The Ecuadorean showed up in Philadelphia to rally in front of the Rocky statue.
They all showed us what they think of Americana. They showed us America is doing good in their eyes.
FOLLOW ARMANDO SALGUERO ON X: @ARMANDOSALGUERO
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