LONDON — Football fans in the United Kingdom have mixed opinions on the World Cup coming to the United States.
Some feel the political climate in the U.S. provides reason for hesitancy. But soccer fan Alfie Lisle said everyone he’s spoken with shares a strong feeling around the tournament being in the U.S.
Enthusiasm.
“It’s exciting, isn’t it,” Lisle said. “I reckon [the U.S.] will put on a good show.”
This year marks the second time the U.S. will host the men’s World Cup, and the first time since 1994. Lisle, a 32-year-old lifelong Chelsea fan, said he expects many from the UK to make the trip. He is staying with a friend in New Jersey and attending the final at MetLife Stadium — home of the National Football League’s New York Giants and New York Jets.
The Shirley Povich Center for Sports Journalism and Capital News Service spoke to U.K. fans about the World Cup coming to the U.S.
Lisle has been impressed by the spectacle that the U.S. creates with the Super Bowl every year. He expects that will translate to the World Cup, which takes place June 11 to July 19.
The tournament will be shared by Canada, Mexico and the U.S. In 1994, Brazil beat Italy at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, in the first World Cup final decided on penalties.
Excellent Abunum, a Manchester City fan since age 8, believes the event being stretched across 11 states, in cities from Los Angeles to Boston, is advantageous for U.K. fans who want to explore the U.S. But the 19-year-old doesn’t think location is the driving factor for most fans.
“[If people] really like football, they wouldn’t care where it is,” Abunum said. “They’d go because they like football.”
A record 48 teams are participating in this year’s World Cup finals, with 78 of 104 matches in the U.S. Abunum said he wouldn’t be surprised if fans from places including Germany and Spain outnumber those from the U.K.
Another U.K. fan, Eddie Harknett, pushed back on the tournament’s international appeal.
Harknett, 74, has been watching football since he was 7 years old. He said he knows many U.K. football fans and that many have decided not to attend the World Cup in the U.S. He cited the current political climate, including difficulties obtaining travel visas, as a key factor.
“I can’t see them making any money in America,” Harknett said. “Canada and Mexico [will make money].”
Eliot Evans, a player for Cardiff Met FC and a coach at Welsh University, also questioned the U.S. hosting considering its political climate. He also spoke about how international flight prices will dramatically increase around the tournament, which could turn some fans off.
Still, Evans believes that attending the World Cup in the U.S. is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity..
“From a purely football perspective, getting eyes on America, hosting an event as big as the World Cup, where the whole world is watching, I think it can only be a positive thing if it’s done in the right way,” Evans said.