The 2026 World Cup Proved That America Can Still Do Big Things
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The 2026 World Cup Proved That America Can Still Do Big Things
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Alex Lasry is the CEO of the NYNJ Host Committee for the 2026 FIFA World Cup
Jul 19, 2026 10:00 AM CUT
A drone show celebrating the 2026 World Cup Final against the Manhattan skyline on July 15, 2026 in Jersey City, New Jersey.
A drone show celebrating the 2026 World Cup Final against the Manhattan skyline on July 15, 2026 in Jersey City, New Jersey.David Ramos—Getty Images
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Alex Lasry is the CEO of the NYNJ Host Committee for the 2026 FIFA World Cup
Jul 19, 2026 10:00 AM CUT
Americans are far from optimistic about our future. According to a recent Pew Research poll, 69% of us are dissatisfied with the way things are going, and 59% believe the United States’ best days are behind it. When asked to predict what America will be like 25 years from now, a majority said it will be more dangerous, more divided, worse off economically, and less influential in world affairs.
In other words, the World Cup could not have come at a more crucial time.
One sporting event will not reverse a years-long trend toward pessimism, or make the very real challenges facing our country disappear. But this Cup has nevertheless served as a reminder that America can still deliver on the same revolutionary promise that was made 250 years ago.
While the tournament was not without its fair share of controversy, everyday Americans showed the world that we can still achieve great things on our own terms.
This year’s World Cup wasn’t just a soccer tournament. It was among the biggest global events in human history. Millions of in-person attendees traveled to stadiums across North America to cheer on 1,248 players from 48 countries. More than 100 broadcasters reached a combined viewership of well over 2 billion on television and billions more on social media. More than 400 government agencies were involved in security alone.
The 2026 Cup was not an exclusively American undertaking. There were three host nations, and five of the 16 host cities were located in either Canada or Mexico. Even so, it was clear from the beginning that the tournament's success depended on the United States. Seventy-five percent of the matches, including the final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, were played on American soil. Because of the new expanded format, which increased the total number of teams from 32 to 48, America hosted more individual games than any host nation in World Cup history.
Given the deep divisions in our country, the dysfunction that too often characterizes our politics, and the many genuinely serious challenges we face, it would have been easy to assume that America would not be up to this unprecedented task. The red-card controversy that colored the USMNT’s final game provided America’s skeptics with plenty of additional fodder. But in the end, while no nation or sporting event is perfect, those who doubted the U.S. could organize a historic World Cup learned the same lesson those who underestimate America have learned repeatedly over the past 250 years.
We weren’t just able to pull off a massive national enterprise. We did it in a way that reflects our unique national structure and character.
That begins with our federalist system. Every host nation must coordinate a variety of matches, transportation plans, and events. But few host nations have the kind of decentralized structure created by America’s Founders: a combination of sovereign states and a strong federal government, plus overlapping federal, state, local, and jurisdictions. At...