2026 FIFA World Cup question

[Buzz Rules]

2026 FIFA World Cup question. If you are not a soccer fan, will you still go to games when it is held in North America? Have you been to an MLS/CPL game before if you have a local team? Did it turn you off from the sport? If you have not gone to a game, do you think you would try to go to one in the next 5 years realistically? I ask these questions because I’m curious to see how much you think the sport will grow on the public or yourself before the FIFA World Cup comes here. No judgement on how you feel about the sport either way. Thanks.

 

[White Cat]

I went to several games the last time they were played in the USA. Since that time I have watched no soccer on tv as I find it boring. That said, I would plan to get tickets next time.

 

[RedAngie]

ExH and I saw the US play in Pontiac, Michigan in 1994. I think it was against Switzerland. It was extremely hot that day and the old Silverdome wasn’t air conditioned. The day after the infamous OJ Simpson car chase on TV.

First pro soccer match was circa 1973, the Philadelphia Atoms in the NASL.

Attended a MLS Philadelphia Union match about five years ago.

It’s possible I might attend a World Cup match in 2026. It depends on where the games are played.

I’m not sure if USA soccer will ever grow more popular. It seems to have reached its peak. The majority are casual fans at best who only pay attention once every four years.

 

[cvjw]

Huge soccer family here who have considered traveling outside of the US to watch World Cup games - my husband did travel to Europe to watch the World Cup when he was younger. Husband played soccer for years and then younger son played soccer his whole life. Then soccer went woke, and we no longer watch and most definitely would not pay to watch a game. Very sad. We just want to enjoy watching soccer, not get lectured to.

 

[starvenger]

I've not been to a Toronto FC game yet but I've been to BMO for Argos games and the stadium is very nice, but not as much breeze as one might expect being so close to Lake Ontario. I presume that SkyDome can't be used anymore as they're locked into the baseball configuration, plus it would be Astroturf, not grass.

 

[footballmouse]

If the World Cup would come to the states and it was relatively close to where we live, then I would consider going.

 

[White Cat]

If the World Cup would come to the states and it was relatively close to where we live, then I would consider going.

That’s why I got tickets. One of the venues was very close.

 

[Buzz Rules]

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_FIFA_World_Cup

 

[floridafam]

Yes, we would definitely go! My son just missed the last women’s World Cup when he was traveling in Europe.

DS had the chance to see our favorite player, Arjen Robben, play in Miami a few years ago and it was such a treat.

 

[fla4fun]

Nope. Not into sports at all and don’t see that changing in the future.

 

[WEDWDW]

I would go just to see Messi play,but doubtful he will still be around for 2026 and a Road trip to Qatar doesn't look likely!lol

 

[bcla]

The only time I've ever seen a competitive game in person was at the 1984 Olympics, where it was local. Saw West Germany defeat Brazil 1-0 on a single penalty kick. There were over 70,000 at Stanford Stadium for that. At the time it was a US record attendance for the sport, although that got beaten by the semifinals (one at Stanford Stadium and the other at the Rose Bowl) and the finals (at the Rose Bowl). There was talk that it showed support for the game as a spectator sport although that didn't quite happen.

I do remember the 1994 World Cup. I was a grad student at Santa Clara University and the school's stadium was Brazil's designated training site. The local WC headquarters was in Santa Clara at a building that's now a bank. That was also supposed to be the start of something. I heard that FIFA wanted it in the US because they believed it might spur the growth of the game in the United States with the promise of a high level league.

I haven't specifically been to an MLS game though, even though I worked in Silicon Valley for a while. The locations were kind of weird, with Spartan Stadium at San Jose State University and Buck Shaw Stadium at Santa Clara University. I did see Avaya Stadium being built and wanted to go see a game but never got around too it.

 

[Buzz Rules]

I've not been to a Toronto FC game yet but I've been to BMO for Argos games and the stadium is very nice, but not as much breeze as one might expect being so close to Lake Ontario. I presume that SkyDome can't be used anymore as they're locked into the baseball configuration, plus it would be Astroturf, not grass.

Thought this might interest you.

 

[bcla]

I've not been to a Toronto FC game yet but I've been to BMO for Argos games and the stadium is very nice, but not as much breeze as one might expect being so close to Lake Ontario. I presume that SkyDome can't be used anymore as they're locked into the baseball configuration, plus it would be Astroturf, not grass.

Temporary grass can be set up. During the 1994 WC they set up several stadiums that typically had an artificial surface with grass. In the Pontiac Silverdome they used some system with hexagonal trays of grass. It was only three games though, although the fabric roof did allow light to enter. They also used Giants Stadium.

 

[RedAngie]

Temporary grass can be set up. During the 1994 WC they set up several stadiums that typically had an artificial surface with grass. In the Pontiac Silverdome they used some system with hexagonal trays of grass. It was only three games though, although the fabric roof did allow light to enter. They also used Giants Stadium.

Yes, they trucked in “pallets” of real grass for the Silverdome. I read that they experimented a few times in the year leading up to the games to determine which system worked best. Between games they moved the grass outside.

 

[BuckeyeBama]

If the US team is legitimately competitive, yes. If not, I'd rather watch on TV and save my money for football tickets.

 

[Buzz Rules]

If the US team is legitimately competitive, yes. If not, I'd rather watch on TV and save my money for football tickets.

USMNT is currently #22 in the FIFA World rankings. If they preform at their potential, they should make the top 20 in the world.

 

[bcla]

Yes, they trucked in “pallets” of real grass for the Silverdome. I read that they experimented a few times in the year leading up to the games to determine which system worked best. Between games they moved the grass outside.

Most stadiums with grass use sod. However, to use that requires infrastructure including watering systems. However, I believe that most outdoor artificial surfaces still have drainage systems underneath because rain can still flood a field.

Most sod at major stadiums is new every year. That certainly made a lot of sense at multipurpose stadiums where a baseball field got torn up by football. That even happens at many baseball only stadiums since the grass doesn't do so well after a cold winter. They can do other things too such as monster truck shows. Then they need a couple of months to install sod and get it to the state where it's acceptable.

I guess using all those trays helped because they could deal with them by carting them outdoors. But these days we've gotten really complicated such as the stadium in Arizona where the whole field is on a large tray that slides out to get exposed to sunlight.

And they take their grass seriously at FIFA. Back in 1994 FIFA got upset because Stanford had their commencement activities right on the field and covered up the grass with a platform and folding chairs over the grass. They sent out their "grass doctor" to see what could be done to restore any dead spots on the field, and they only had a week to do it.

https://www.nytimes.com/1994/05/28/sports/soccer-don-t-graduate-on-the-grass.html

Another issue is that most football stadiums in the US are crowned (like roads) such that water flows off to the sides. FIFA standards for the World Cup include flat surfaces, so many stadiums had to get their fields graded.