The 2026 FIFA World Cup is underway across North America. Soccer fans from all over the world have descended on cities like Boston, Los Angeles and Kansas City to watch their national teams participate in the beautiful game. With all of this going on we have seen something incredible, the rest of the world discovering America on their own terms.
Now Europeans are obviously aware of America, but it appears that a lot of them have only known what they have been fed by their media. So their pre-conceived notions of our nation were mostly negative. But if you go online now, you will be flooded with videos of soccer fans from across the world learning just how incredible the United States is. I’ve come across videos of Italians being floored by the concept of free refills, Japanese fans clamoring over Texas BBQ and Scottish fans taking over Boston bars kilts and all. The most famous example being the German soccer fan Freddy who has roadtripped all across the South for these games and discovering things that we Americans probably take for granted. He has become so well known that JJ Watt hooked him and his friends up with a hotel room in Houston and Ella Langley got him tickets to her concert. This content is all over the internet and it has brought all of us great joy to see people be in awe of the things that are commonplace for us as Americans.
As we approach our 250th anniversary, these people experiencing America for the first time and enjoying it should remind us all just how proud of our country we all should be. The United States of America is truly the greatest country on Earth and you don’t have to look further than foreign soccer fans to see why. These people’s amazement should invigorate our patriotism and make us feel an overwhelming sense of pride.
But that pride has not reached all Americans. According to recent polling, a large chunk of Americans are not proud to be American. 56% of those polled said they were proud to be American. For those 65+ that number is 75%. Only 36% of Americans 18-36 said they were proud to be an American. 29% of Democrats say they’re proud to American while that number is 90% for Republicans. Our pride in our country should not sway depending on who occupies the White House, it should stand true because at the end of the day we are all truly blessed to be Americans.
Rooting for your country is not a vice, it’s essential to prove to future generations that America is worth fighting for.
This commentary is published on Thursdays as part of TPPF’s subscriber-only newsletter The Post. If you would like to subscribe to The Post, click here