World Cup fans love the USA. Why are Americans so surprised? | Opinion

I’ll be perfectly honest. My interest in soccer extends about as far “Ted Lasso” and the rather nice physiques of the players.

Yet, as World Cup fans from around the globe have descended on America, I have found myself extremely interested in their perceptions of the country.

Europeans especially seem bewitched by the sheer bigness of it all, from the spacious Western grandeur to supersized gas stations like Buc-ee’s. 

It’s adorable. 

What’s not so cute is the shock some of my fellow Americans seem to be feeling at these expressions of true awe and joy from our visitors. The pushback, largely from coastal liberal elites, revolves around this theme: Since Donald Trump is president, the rest of the world must feel the same shame and horror that we do.

They don’t, though. 

America is so much bigger than one man, and it’s refreshing to see these candid takes at a time when so many U.S. citizens (Democrats, anyway) are down on their country. 

From Waffle House to ranch dressing, USA is winning over fans

To give you a taste of the outpouring of affection for American traditions, I’ll share a few of the social media posts that have gone viral. 

“This is so surreal, just had the best food ever,” Elsa, who is Swedish, posted to X. “Why did no one tell me ranch sauce is like crack? EUROPE WE NEED RANCH ASAP”

And then there is Freddy the German, who has amassed a huge following as he traverses around to World Cup games: “Just had our first Waffle House experience at 1am. Great food, great prices, and friendly staff. 10/10, we will be coming back.”

Freddy also was in awe of the Buc-ee’s gas stations.

“DUDE LMAO THIS IS A GAS STATION,” he exclaimed, with three crying face emojis. That post alone has attracted nearly 26 million views.

A fan from England had this to say about her fast-food experience: “THIS IS THE BEST FOOD I HAVE EVER HAD IN MY LIFE, AMERICA YOU KEEP ON DELIVERING!”

Americans are feeling down on the economy. But our way of life is still darn good. 

This enthusiasm is being met with pure suspicion and surprise by U.S. journalists. 

Will Oremus of The Atlantic, for instance, doubts that these posts by international tourists are anything more than bids for internet fame, while condescendingly allowing that “no doubt at least some of the mutual enthusiasm between Americans and visiting football fans is sincere.”

And although Constance Grady of Vox says she’s a fan of all the tourist love for America, she’s surprised nonetheless that it's arriving at this “moment.”

“The 2026 World Cup has become a global love fest for the US – at a time when the rest of the world has plenty of reasons to dislike us,” Grady writes. “A World Cup hosted by the United States under the xenophobic Trump administration had all the makings of a disaster.”

Again, these soccer fanatics don't care about Trump. They care about the abundant American way of life that too many of us simply take for granted.

The Economist recently observed: “The American wealth enticing holidaymakers troubles European elites. America, once a peer, seems to be racing ahead.”

The American economy is far from perfect, and Americans are feeling the continued pain of inflation and high grocery bills. But we rarely measure it against what our fellow humans across the globe face.

We are a remarkably wealthy country and the envy of much of the world, even though progressives and Trump haters will try to claim otherwise. 

The tourist awe for Walmart and Buc-ee’s? That should serve as a reminder of how lucky we are. 

Ingrid Jacques is a columnist at USA TODAY. Contact her at [email protected] or on X: @Ingrid_Jacques