Workers are making their final preparations for MetLife Stadium and other venues to host World Cup games. Yet, just days away from the opener, the tournament has yet to feel fully real for fans and even some players.
Organizational Start vs. Tangible Reality
Organizationally speaking, the 2026 World Cup began on 13 June 2018, when then-Fifa general secretary Fatma Samoura sternly instructed delegates to cast their vote in a cavernous conference hall in Moscow. However, mere days away from the tournament's kickoff in Mexico City, it does not really feel like the event is here yet, at least not in the United States. In New York, the host city for the final, the sense of anticipation remains muted.
It can be oddly difficult to determine when and where a World Cup has truly started. It is not when the draw takes place, as too much winter and club soccer remain. Nor is it the opening match or the preceding ceremony, which often seem late. The tournament exists tangibly in the weeks and months before, as the world prepares and positions itself for the impending event.
Players' Perspectives on the Buildup
Tyler Adams and Weston McKennie, who will likely comprise much of the United States men's national team midfield this summer, were 19 when their home country was named a co-host. That moment signaled their automatic qualification as one of the three co-hosts. McKennie noted, "For me, it started to feel real probably after [this past] season finished, because we had a lot of pressure at our club level. So I wanted to just finish my season off with Juventus and then, after that, I think it'll start to hit me more. Obviously, whenever you get the message that you're named to the roster, that's another big moment."
Adams, a Bournemouth player in the Premier League, added, "Two days ago, I was playing against Nottingham Forest, hoping to achieve something. Yesterday, [I] got off the plane and we're in Times Square. I think it'll probably hit tomorrow, when we start training properly and really start preparing."
Adams and McKennie spoke at US Soccer's World Cup roster unveiling event at the swanky Pier 17 complex at South Street Seaport in Manhattan. In a bonanza of red, white, and blue, the 26 players picked by head coach Mauricio Pochettino were announced one by one, emerging to loud music and blasts of smoke, clad in grey suits over knitted T-shirts and white sneakers. They stood about as the rapper Gunna performed in front of them. "That's America," Adams wryly noted.
Commercial and Cultural Signals
Such events exist to signal that the World Cup really is here, but that remains tricky in a country where soccer is still mostly treated like the Olympics—something to get into for a few weeks every four years. The NBA playoffs are near their apotheosis, with the New York Knicks in the finals, while hockey and baseball seasons are ongoing. The World Cup, for now, is just one of many attractions.
The most evidence of the impending tournament can be found in sponsoring businesses. Hardware chains display signage, pharmacies sell plush mascots and officially licensed trinkets. US captain Tim Ream observed, "To see all the different branding and things that are being put up around the country has made it that much more real in the past couple weeks."
Balancing Anticipation and Present Focus
Weighing anticipation and the present is a tricky balance for players. They are expected to live day to day, practice to practice, game to game. For the US, absent a lengthy qualification process, they lacked the usual markers that demarcate the cycle. Christian Pulisic said, "I think I kind of felt it on the horizon. Obviously, you're focusing on what you're doing at your club, but I'd say once I got here and kind of was with the team and felt these fans and support and buzz around the World Cup, is when I really started to feel it."
Players on the bubble experienced Monday's Fifa roster deadline differently. Gio Reyna, whose eventual inclusion felt unlikely for long stretches, noted, "Probably within the last month was sort of when all these players were very, very nervous and wondering what was going to happen and hoping to be there. Coming down the last couple of weeks of the season, I think it was on everyone's mind."
Now that the team has assembled, some members still do not fully sense the moment. Defender Miles Robinson remarked, "Maybe that first game of the World Cup, being a part of that, maybe is when it will really hit; or maybe it will be a week after the entire World Cup—I'm not sure. It's slow to really sink in."
