When the report from Sheet presented herself at an immigration counter to enter the United States, on Friday morning (5), the person responsible for service at JFK airport, in New York, got confused. When in doubt about the documents he should require from press professionals when covering the World Cup, he consulted a colleague and was unable to say the name of the tournament: “You know, that big soccer thing”.
You know, “that big football thing” is the championship that will start next Thursday (11), with matches held in the United States, Mexico and Canada. Most of the games –78 of the 104– will be on American territory, and the decision is scheduled precisely for the venue officially identified as New York/New Jersey.
It is in this metropolitan region that the World Cup participants want to be on July 19, the date of the final, at the MetLife Stadium, in the municipality of East Rutherford. But not even in the stadium itself can you see the usual festive atmosphere of the competition, treated with disdain by the population, at least at this moment.
“If you ask ten non-Latinos on the street, about five probably don’t know there’s a World Cup,” said Brazilian Vinicius Nascimento, 45, a chef who has lived in New York for 14 years.
Even though football has grown in the United States, which has a winning women’s team and a men’s league with world stars like Lionel Messi, the sport does not have the popularity of American football, baseball or basketball. And New York basketball is experiencing a decisive moment.
The traditional New York Knicks are in the NBA decision for the first time since 1999 and are looking for their first title since 1973. The team won the opening duel of the best-of-seven series against the San Antonio Spurs and fueled expectations in the city, which does not seem ready to pay attention to football.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s love for sport did not reach those who elected him in an expressive vote. Born in Uganda and an Arsenal fan, he has a firm connection with football and fought with FIFA (International Football Federation) so that at least some of the tickets had less exorbitant prices.
Still, in New York and surrounding areas, there is no enthusiasm.
At House of ‘Cue, a mix of steakhouse and sports bar located in the shopping center in front of the MetLife Stadium, references to the World Cup were limited on Friday afternoon to a banner advertising a beer brand, sponsor of the tournament, in which the cup also appeared. On the TV sets, tuned to different stations, there was no talk of football.
On Fox Sports, presenter Colin Cowherd, from the program “The Herd”, compared Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson to historic American football quarterbacks. On ESPN’s “The Rich Eisen Show”, the topics were the possibility of LeBron James joining Stephen Curry on the Golden State Warriors and Austin Reaves’ loud request to renew with the Los Angeles Lakers. Next to the televisions, on the wall, there was a framed uniform of “running back” Ricky Brown, historic idol of the University of Texas football team.
At the airport itself, in notable contrast to what was seen at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar – and even with what was seen in 2024 at the Olympic Games in Paris, a city that was also flirting with disdain in relation to its mega sporting event –, there was little evidence that there is less than a week to go before the start of the 2026 World Cup.
The World Cup has not yet reached the grand final stage.
