On June 14th, the FIFA World Cup is set to kick off in Houston. Taking place every four years, the World Cup is the largest sporting event worldwide, where several countries compete in a heated tournament to ultimately be crowned champion in front of over one billion viewers. The tournament commences with the newly expanded Group Stage, where 48 teams will be divided into 12 groups, with each team playing three matches. Who advances from the group is determined by a point system where a win equals three points, a draw equals one point, and a loss equals zero. From here, 32 teams advance to the sudden-death knockout rounds, which include the winner from each group, a runner-up, and eight third-place teams determined by several factors, including points and scoring margin.

With 16 US cities hosting matches, many expect the tourism surplus to be spread out, but that doesn’t mean that there won’t be unusually large crowds in each of these host cities. Houston has seen a great extent of travelers during large events like the Super Bowl in 2017, the Final Four in 2023, and Copa America Centenario in 2016, but those events hardly compare to what’s expected in early June. For comparison, the Super Bowl in Houston drew between 100,000 and 150,000 visitors, and that feat doesn’t compare to the expected 500,000 visitors, according to Chron.com, that the World Cup is expected to bring. 

According to a Statista study using YouGov data, of the 19 countries surveyed, the US had the lowest interest in soccer, with 60% of people categorized as “not interested”. What’s interesting is how U.S. cities have chosen to host the rounds with the most countries still in play, which may aim to expose Americans to the excitement and international atmosphere that the country lacks. “Americans that don’t normally watch soccer are gonna see for the first time how exciting and how energetic this tournament can be,” 11th grade student Lev Sherman shared in response to how he envisions the World Cup playing a role in expanding the sport in the U.S. With Houston and many other U.S. cities welcoming hundreds of thousands of international soccer fans, the cultural influence could play a large part in creating new fandom rituals in cities where soccer has largely played a secondary role to sports like American football, basketball, and baseball.

Houston’s already existing diversity could make for a very interesting atmosphere as we could see many local fans blend with international fans from all over the world to partake in unique traditions. We can expect to see many of these fans bring flags, have celebrations, and represent their country as if their lives depend on it. While some may be able to embrace this sudden culture shift, for other US residents, the World Cup could be much larger than a sporting event, but a global cultural experience that reshapes the city’s views on soccer.