Some fans question U.S. readiness for 2026 World Cup after Club World Cup experience
soccer
By STEVE REED
Lifelong soccer fan Victor Dumois expressed concern about the United States co-hosting the 2026 World Cup after attending a recent Club World Cup match in Miami.
'I think after the Copa America, a weird phenomenon has occurred here," said Dumois, who is from Spain. 'There's people that don't like the World Cup being in the United States.'
The Copa America championship game last year in Miami was a security nightmare, with overheated and ticketless fans breaking down the barriers at Hard Rock Stadium to get inside. Eventually the game was played, although some paying customers never were able to get to their seats because they were occupied. Some cited the debacle as one example of how unprepared the United States is to host soccer's biggest tournament.
Fast-forward to this summer and the 32-team Club World Cup hosted solely in the United States.
Dumois said security was tight this time around — almost to a fault.
'In Spain, it is different, you can just have an Uber or taxi take you right up to the stadium," Dumois said, sharing his thoughts on the Round 16 match between Real Madrid and Juventus. "Here in Miami, they have to leave you outside and far away. There's so many layers of security, it's too much.'
The Club World Cup, which is entering the quarterfinals this weekend, has served as a tune-up for the United States which, along with Canada and Mexico, will host the 2026 World Cup in cities like Miami, Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Seattle.
So far, the club tournament has not been well-attended, except for a handful of matches.
A Round of 16 knockout match at Charlotte's 75,000-seat Bank of America Stadium between Fluminense and Inter Milan drew just 20,030 fans. Stadium officials allowed fans who'd purchased upper deck tickets to move down to the lower bowl. Even then, lower bowl looked half full.
Empty seats have been a common sight across the country.
There are variety of reasons why.
First, the club tournament simply isn't as popular as the World Cup, where players are competing for their countries rather than a club team.
The costs — both for games and travel — have also kept some away.
And, for some, there have been lingering concerns of potential U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids at matches amid President Donald Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration.
The weather hasn't helped either.
Benjamin Cabral lives in Boston, but his family is from Azoras, an autonomous region of Portugal.
He said if FIFA hopes to grow the game in America, a scheduling change is necessary. Due to soccer's popularity in Europe, many club matches have been played in the middle of the day so fans overseas can watch games on television or livestream in real time at night.
The downside is players have been forced to play with temperatures above 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 Celsius) while a major heat wave gripped the States.
'If they're trying to grow their game in the US, they need to make the games later,' Cabral said. 'It's too hot out here for the players."
It hasn't been easy on fans, either.
'There's no roof, no screens, not much,' said Carlos Olguin, who made the trek from Mexico to Charlotte to watch Pachuca play Real Madrid.
Next year's World Cup will be played during a similar time frame, beginning in mid-June and concluding in mid-July.
Excitement surrounding the current event also remains a concern.
'The other thing in the city is that it should be more prepared for the event, because there are people who don't even know there's an event and so you go to a restaurant with the idea that there are flags, fans, more football things and there's nothing,' Olguin added of the Club World Cup. 'The city should be more prepared for the event, because there are people who don't even know there's an event.'
As for the venues, spectators attending Club World Cup matches offered differing reviews of American stadiums and host cities leading up to the country hosting the World Cup for the first since 1994.
"I'll be honest, the U.S. is not ready to host the World Cup," said Jeremy Zuniga from South Carolina. "There's too many people coming from South America, Europe, everybody.'
Others, like Rogerio Bajos from Peru, feel differently.
'I think it's been good, we haven't had any problems," said Bajos, who also attended a CWC game in Miami. 'The parking is no problem, the security has been good. Overall, a stupendous spectacle.'
Humberto Contasta from Miami said the Club World Cup should help the American co-hosts iron out some issues before next summer.
Daniel Marques, who made the trek from Portugal to Charlotte for the sole purpose of watching Benfica battle Chelsea in a group play match, said he was impressed overall with how the tournament was run.
Guilherme Altoe agreed.
Altoe, who grew up watching World Cup matches in Brazil before moving to the United States nearly a decade ago, said he thinks the United States will put on a good event next summer.
'I think the United States has everything, all the infrastructure to host a World Cup,' he said. 'So we are excited to have them see all the fans from different places and have family come around and it will be a great time.'
Freelancers Andrew Jaime-Mendez and Max Feliu Merce contributed to this report.
© Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Japan Times
2 days ago
- Japan Times
Arsenal edges Manchester United at Old Trafford in season opener
Arsenal's quest for Premier League glory got off to a winning start as Riccardo Calafiori's goal beat Manchester United 1-0 on Sunday, while world champion Chelsea was lucky to escape with a 0-0 draw against Crystal Palace. After finishing second for the past three seasons, the pressure is on Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta to deliver the club's first league title since 2003-04. The Gunners were far from impressive at Old Trafford but earned a huge three points thanks to a glaring error from United's stand-in goalkeeper Altay Bayindir. The Turkish international flapped at Declan Rice's corner in the 13th minute, presenting Calafiori with the simple task of heading into an empty net. "Big result," Arteta said. "First game of the season at Old Trafford when you feel they are building something." United debuted its new £200 million ($271 million) attacking trident of Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko but could not find a way past a defense that has been the best in the Premier League for the past two seasons. Patrick Dorgu came closest to an equalizer when the Dane smashed against the post from long range. It was a tale of the two goalkeepers as Arsenal stopper David Raya also produced fine saves to deny Cunha and Mbeumo a perfect start to their careers with United. "We proved today we can win any game in the Premier League against a great team like Arsenal," United boss Ruben Amorim said. "We deserved a different result, and we need to move forward to the next one." Chelsea suffered a Club World Cup hangover as it as held at bay by FA Cup winner Palace. The Eagles were denied an early opener when Eberechi Eze's free kick was ruled out by a VAR review for Marc Guehi obstructing the Chelsea wall. New Chelsea signing Estevao came closest to snatching a winner for the home side, but the newly crowned world champion was blunt in attack against a well-organized Palace defense. Palace's key duo of Guehi and Eze started despite mounting speculation the England internationals are set to join Liverpool and Tottenham, respectively. "As long as they are 100% committed, they will play as they are so good," Palace boss Oliver Glasner said. "They didn't just show they are great footballers, but they are great persons and that's what I expected." Chelsea's demolition of European champion Paris Saint-Germain in the Club World Cup final last month had raised the Blues' hopes they can challenge for their first Premier League title since 2017. But Enzo Maresca bemoaned his side's lack of preparation time since beating PSG in New York just 35 days ago. "They played about eight (preseason) games, we played just two, so we tried our best," the Italian said. "We expected a tough game. Apart from the first half free kick, we didn't concede any chances." Nottingham Forest made light of manager Nuno Espirito Santo's preseason fears over a lack of signings with a dominant 3-1 win over a much-changed Brentford. Chris Wood struck twice either side of Dan Ndyoe's debut goal for Forest on a nightmare afternoon for new Brentford boss Keith Andrews. "It was a very good first half. The combinations were really good, beautiful goals," Nuno said. "This is why we are insisting on a good, balanced squad that gives us options and solutions." The Bees lost their manager, captain and top scorer in the offseason. Thomas Frank left to take charge of Tottenham, Mbeumo got his dream move to Manchester United and Arsenal secured Christian Norgaard. Yoane Wissa was also missing from the Brentford squad ahead of an expected move to Newcastle. Igor Thiago's first goal for the club from the penalty spot late on was the only consolation for the visitor. "I do have genuine belief but we have to take responsibility for a first half that wasn't good enough," said Andrews.
Japan Today
2 days ago
- Japan Today
Arsenal wins 1-0 at Man United as Chelsea held by Palace in Premier League
Arsenal's Riccardo Calafiori celebrates with teammates after scoring his sides first goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester United and Arsenal at Old Trafford stadium in Manchester, England, Sunday, Aug. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson) soccer By STEVE DOUGLAS Arsenal kept at bay Manchester United's expensively assembled forward line and scored again from a set piece to win 1-0 in the marquee match in the opening round of the Premier League on Sunday. Arsenal defender Riccardo Calafiori nodded in from close range in the 13th minute after United back-up goalkeeper Altay Bayındır — starting ahead of Andre Onana — flapped at the ball from a corner whipped in by Declan Rice. While Arsenal followed likely title rivals Liverpool and Manchester City in claiming an opening-weekend victory, United fell to a loss that is all-to-familiar under Ruben Amorim following a woeful 15th-place finish last season by English soccer's fallen giant. United spent around 200 million pounds ($270 million) on revamping its attack in the offseason, with Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha starting the match and Benjamin Sesko coming off the bench in the second half. While the team played with a good intensity at Old Trafford, Arsenal's strong defense stood firm. At the other end, Viktor Gyokeres endured a difficult first competitive start for Arsenal, whose goal came from a familiar route with Mikel Arteta's team so imposing from set-piece situations in recent seasons. Chelsea also failed to score in its opening league game, held 0-0 by Crystal Palace in its first competitive match as the club world champion. A month after stunning Paris Saint-Germain in the Club World Cup final, Chelsea toiled at Stamford Bridge after a short preseason because of its exertions in the United States. Eberechi Eze has been heavily linked with a move to Tottenham so the England midfielder might have been making his final appearance for Palace. He almost marked it with a goal. In the 13th minute, Eze smashed a direct free kick past Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez from the edge of the area but the goal was ruled out after a video review spotted an infringement by Palace captain Marc Guehi as he attempted to push aside Chelsea's Moises Caicedo in the defensive wall. The Premier League confirmed Guehi was standing less than one meter (yard) from the wall as the shot was taken, which is not allowed. Joao Pedro and Cole Palmer, stars for Chelsea in the Club World Cup, were quiet. The hosts lacked intensity because they've only been back in training for a couple of weeks, while Palace has had a long preseason and was coming off beating Liverpool on penalties in the Community Shield last weekend. Nottingham Forest hit the ground running with a 3-1 win over Brentford, with striker Chris Wood — the team's top scorer last season with 20 goals — netting twice in the first half either side of a goal on debut by Dan Ndoye. Wood started quickly last season in the best goalscoring top-flight campaign of his career and he needed just five minutes to open his account this time round, making the most of a poor clearance at a corner to poke home a finish. Ndoye headed in a second in the 42nd minute and Wood rounded the goalkeeper in first-half stoppage time to stroke in a third. Igor Thiago converted a late penalty for a consolation for Brentford, which might struggle this season after selling star forward Bryan Mbeumo to Manchester United and not having first-choice striker Yoane Wissa available. Wissa has been linked with a move to Newcastle. All matches on Sunday featured a period of silence before kickoff as a tribute to Diogo Jota and Andre Silva, the brothers who were killed in a car crash in Spain last month. Jota was a player for Liverpool at the time. © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Japan Today
2 days ago
- Japan Today
Beijing's World Humanoid Robot Games show how a human touch is still needed
A robot competes in the 1500m race during the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing, China, Friday, Aug. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.) By MAHESH KUMAR Humanoid robots raced and punched their way through three days of a multi-sport competition at the World Humanoid Robot Games, wrapping up Sunday in Beijing. But they also toppled, crashed and collapsed, requiring humans' help and leading to questions about how far, after all, the robots can go on their own. The games featured more than 500 humanoids on 280 teams from 16 countries, including the United States, Germany and Japan, that competed in sports such as soccer, running and boxing at the 12,000-seater National Speed Skating Oval, built for the 2022 Winter Olympics. The event comes as China has stepped up efforts to develop humanoid robots powered by artificial intelligence. Robots were often seen close to their operators, whether they were controlled remotely, held, lifted, sorted or separated. Batteries needed replacing and limbs tuned. Although the robots showed off some impressive moves, some tripped and human intervention was never far from the field. One had to be carried out by two people, like an injured athlete, in a display of the limitations the machines are still facing. Their effect on the audience, however, was not unlike that of real athletes. Cheers erupted when a robot landed a punch, scored a goal, or won a game, showing that viewers were genuinely invested in the machines' endeavors. AI-powered robots are expected to be increasingly used in industrial settings. © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
