World Cup Fever

The chants start before kickoff. Jersey fans of Argentina, Brazil, France, Mexico, and the U.S. fill the sidewalk of a sports bar in the Bronx while a sidewalk vendor nearby sells scarves in the various sports team colors. In Queens, car horns on Roosevelt Avenue honk for each goal. The sounds of English and Spanish are jumbled as people pause to watch the highlights through store windows.

Soccer, football to most of the world has been hard to overlook since the run-up to the FIFA World Cup began. “This city has always been into soccer, but the people all see that now,” said Angel Muñoz, a lifelong soccer fan from Jackson Heights. “Previously it was more of a background thing, now it’s everywhere.”

The 2026 tournament, which will be played in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, will be one of the largest sporting events ever in North America. The final will be played at MetLife Stadium, on July 19, and will put the New York metro area at the forefront of the world’s biggest event.

Soccer has grown in popularity in the U.S. over the past ten years according to Major League Soccer. The league said that 3.7 million people watched live matches in 2025. That’s an increase of 29% from the 2024. The addition of the Barcelona superstar and legend, Lionel Messi, to Inter Miami CF helped fuel national interest in the sport.

Fans in neighborhoods like Corona, Washington Heights and Astoria regularly pack restaurants and bars that show live and streamed matches. Daniel Zapata, a resident of Jackson Heights, Queens, said that soccer was already a way of life here, “the World Cup is making the rest of the country realize.”

Craig Schackner, a youth coach on the Upper East Side in Manhattan, said, “Kids talk about 2026 constantly. For them, it’s not something that is far away, it’s here. It’s when the world stops and admires this game.”

But there are still questions about cost and availability. Originally, the price for a round-trip ticket was $150 to go to MetLife Stadium, it has now dropped to $98. Shuttle buses are now $20, originally priced at $80. While parking is still restricted. Fans have raised concerns that there may be problems accessing the games in the region where they are playing. Residents also worry about transportation and infrastructure issues around match days.

Despite those concerns, enthusiasm continues building throughout the city. Conversations increasingly revolve around countdowns, predictions, and expectations for the tournament.

Leo Nunes said that he “can feel the energy changing” when he watches a game in Queens. “Now everybody’s listening.”

*Photo Courtesy of FIFA, Creative Commons License.