When German soccer fan @FreddyLA7 landed in Atlanta, Georgia for the World Cup, he wasn’t sure what to expect. Across Europe, stereotypes suggest Americans are loud, ignorant, hyper-individualistic and unwelcoming.
For @FreddyLA7, or Freddy, what he experienced instead was friendly college campus tours, a tubing experience on the Chattahoochee River, a ride from his hotel receptionist to the stadium in the rain, a Bass Pro shop excursion, and 1 a.m. pancakes at Waffle House.
In just a week, Freddy has become the face of World Cup tourism, but he’s just one of roughly 1.24 million international soccer fans experiencing the US in a new light, exposing a side of America that most visitors didn’t see coming – and perhaps most Americans forgot.
This year, 48 qualified World Cup teams are located at training base camps across Canada, Mexico and the US, including 39 locations spanning states like California and Washington over to Kansas, Tennessee and Virginia. In places that rarely find themselves at the center of international attention, German soccer fans are ordering sweet tea, people are dancing to Ghanaian drums in hotel rooms, Scottish and Haitian fans are discovering tailgating and locals are learning chants in languages they didn’t know before.
Meanwhile, a polarized media has painted a different picture of the tournament focused on immigration debates, geopolitical tension and human rights concerns. This contrast between what’s happening on the ground and what’s being covered in the media raises the question, “Are we really as divided as we’re told?”
Social Media Videos Show Strangers United by World Cup
For many visitors, their introductions to America started with its diverse food culture. Fans from Europe, South America, Africa and Asia have documented their reactions to ranch dressing, fast food like In-N-Out and Canes, Tex-Mex combo plates and American portion sizes. For others, their introduction to America came through its communities.
In Lawrence, Kansas, Algerian soccer fans received a warm welcome as locals shared their support for the Algerian team and thanked them for staying in their city. On June 11, the team and its fans were greeted by the University of Kansas’s band, which played the Algerian national anthem, before its training session at KU’s Rock Chalk Park.
Other videos showed US and Algerian fans swapping jerseys and other team memorabilia before a game. Stan Herd, a local crop artist in Kansas, also recalled the moment Algerian and US fans cheered and sang around an art installation of the Algerian flag he’d created. Lawrence Mayor Brad Finkeldei told reporters their goal was to make Algerians feel welcome, which he said “has been really easy because the Algerians have reciprocated that.”
As Japanese fans arrived in Texas for the tournament, many shared stories of seeing their first American yellow school bus, trying chips and salsa appetizers, riding a mechanical bull and visiting towns depicting the Old West pioneer era, while Texan locals posted themselves experiencing Japanese culture. One Japanese fan told Texas’ Fox 4, “Texas is good. Everything is big.” Fox Sports (Not Rated) also highlighted Netherland fans in Texas tossing a Japan fan into the air in celebration, and another Texas outlet WFFA (Not Rated) shared interviews with Japanese fans excitedly trying popular Texas cuisine for the first time, including BBQ, steak, hamburgers and Mexican food.
Two-hundred and fifty years after American colonists expelled British troops from the Boston Harbor, they were now met with another foreign occupation: The Scots are taking over – and they’re having a blast.
Several videos online have shown celebrations from the Tartan Army as they made their way through Fenway Park and crowd into the Boston Commons while playing bagpipes and wearing kilts. Other videos showed Scots singing their own renditions of John Denver in Boston pubs and “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” at baseball games. Some Scottish fans have even taken a turn on Boston’s infamous “cop slide” – the children’s slide that went viral after video of a police officer tumbling down it became a global meme – and joined in on line dancing. One Boston man shared his experience befriending a group of Scots staying at an AirBnB in his neighborhood by sharing beer and sausages before games.
All across the US, foreigners are experiencing an America they’ve only seen depicted in movies – one of connectivity and openness rather than one of division and tension often portrayed through a global political lens. They’re experiencing military flyovers and bald eagle releases, while others are visiting some of the largest gas stations and football stadiums they’ve ever seen. In San Francisco, fans from Qatar and Switzerland were seen dancing together before kickoff. In Boston, Haitian and Scottish fans were dancing and kicking soccer balls back and forth. When asked about the Iranian soccer team, several US fans told a reporter they hoped they felt “welcome” and “have a good time” during the tournament.
Similar scenes have unfolded elsewhere across North America. Mexico has formed an unlikely – and heartwarming – friendship with South Koreans. Several videos and photos have shown South Korean fans trying cantaritos for the first time and being tossed into the air in celebration, while supporters from both teams were seen dancing to Gangnam Style after South Korea’s first game in the World Cup.
In other parts of Mexico City, Nigerian fans donned Mexican soccer jerseys, while Australian and South African fans danced with crowds of Mexico fans. Pubity (not rated) shared a clip showing Japanese and Mexican fans trading chants and sharing drinks, writing, “No shared language required, just a thousand new friends…” and saying the World Cup has “turn[ed] strangers into teammates for a month.”
Biased Media Paint More Polarized Picture of the World Cup
If you’ve been following the tournament through mainstream news, you may have seen a narrative centered on strained foreign relations, visa denials, human rights debates and ticket prices so high they’ve been called a form of “segregation.”
The New York Times (Lean Left bias) wrote, “Don’t expect unity” as Mexico and Canada have faced “significant tension” with the US as President Trump continues to degrade and threaten the US’s neighbors.
AJPlus (Left) shared a post outlining “growing outrage” over the treatment of several World Cup players and employees from Iraq, Iran and Somalia, including Iraqi player Ayman Hussein who was detained in Chicago and questioned for seven hours before being allowed into the US. AJPlus also shared the experiences of the Iraqi team’s photographer who was “forced” to leave the country, and of Omar Artan, the first Somali referee to officiate the World Cup, who was denied entry to the US despite being provided a diplomatic passport.
While BBC (Center) noted moments of connection on the ground, it also shared several articles emphasizing fans’ anger over US travel bans and visa restrictions. Mo News (not rated) shared a video of FIFA President Gianna Infantino getting “grilled” about US visa restrictions by a BBC reporter and being asked whether he was “embarrassed” by the issues.
CNN (Lean Left) asked Iranian-Americans in Los Angeles if they felt represented by the Iranian soccer team, to which they responded “no.” The outlet said these individuals found themselves at a crossroads between “their cultural identity, their politics and sports,” as one of the host countries is at war with Iran.
An essay in The Associated Press (Lean Left) used the World Cup to talk about Palestine, writing that it offered an “escape” for Palestinians during Israel’s occupation of the West Bank. The writer said that soccer “remains both a passion and struggle” as they go through daily pressures and noted that Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Qatar and Saudi Arabia were among the Arab nations set to compete.
An opinion in The Free Press (Lean Right) questioned whether Mexico was a safe location to host World Cup games, considering it’s “never fully unified” and “it allows violence, poverty and cultural variety." Other commentary from Jillian Lederman in The Free Press argued that while Americans don’t generally “care” about the World Cup, they should. Lederman highlighted skepticism surrounding America’s cultural relationship with soccer, but ultimately argued that it's an opportunity to “discover community, competition, ambition” and form relationships with people outside US borders.
Why the Difference? Challenging the Idea That We’re Divided
Politics and the media have long shaped how we see each other. At a time when news coverage often emphasizes political division and cultural divides, the 2026 FIFA World Cup is showing us a story of curiosity, hospitality and human connection on the ground. So, why are we seeing contrasting narratives?
Part of the answer lies in what best captures attention; conflict, outrage and controversy are naturally more newsworthy than unity and collaboration. The other part is the moment we’re in. At a time of international tension and conflict, strained US relations and a 250th anniversary that means different things to different people, it’s natural for the media to analyze the World Cup through that lens.
Stories of political disputes, visa denials and incidents of discrimination deserve coverage, but they are only one part of the broader story surrounding the World Cup right now. The other part is happening in hotel lobbies, football stadiums, restaurants, city streets, fan festivals and pubs across North America as people from completely different backgrounds and cultures come together in celebration of something they love.
The World Cup won’t solve geopolitics. But for a few weeks, it will offer an opportunity for us to learn from each other, challenge assumptions and discover common ground that politics often obscures. It will have reminded us that most people are far more interested in connection than conflict, and that a country’s people and dynamics aren’t best represented by the caricature portrayed through global media.
These moments also show us that our differences don’t have to prevent friendship, curiosity or respect after the tournament is over; they can be used to create a foundation for better relations, policies and solutions going forward. As America celebrates its 250th anniversary next month, the World Cup also offers us a reminder of our country’s ability to bring people together from different backgrounds, cultures and perspectives, and that the spirit of connection is still there.
RELATED: Sign up to join live dialogue events.
Jessica Carpenter is a Social Media and News Editor at AllSides. She has a Center bias.
This piece was reviewed by Julie Mastrine, Director of Communications and Bias Services (Lean Right), Malayna J. Bizier, (Right) and Emily Allen (Left).
.png.webp)
