When Was The Last Time America Felt Like This?

This article is part of Upstream, The Daily Wire’s new home for culture and lifestyle. Real human insight and human stories — from our featured writers to you.

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America is currently gripped by a nationwide epidemic with no sign of slowing down: Millions of Americans have caught “FIFA fever.” Symptoms of this joyful “infection” include sporting patriotic gear, high-fiving strangers, and an uncontrollable urge to chant “USA” in public.

Across the country, Americans are gathering in backyards, sports bars, and FIFA Fan Festivals to support the U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team in its quest to become the first U.S. men’s team to win the World Cup. The team’s opening match drew a record-breaking 27.5 million viewers, making it the most-watched soccer game in U.S. television history.

Fans gather at the Atlanta FIFA Fan Festival. Photo by Meg Brock.

The International Federation of Association Football World Cup has returned to American soil for the first time in over 30 years, and 11 U.S. cities, alongside Mexico and Canada, are hosting matches from June 11 to July 19. Thousands of soccer fans visiting the U.S. for the first time have been delighted by American hospitality, culture, and culinary delicacies such as ranch dressing.

Over the past two weeks, 48 countries have been competing in the group stage of the World Cup tournament. If you are unfamiliar with how the tournament works, teams are divided into groups of four that compete against each other over a series of three games. Teams receive three points for every win and one point for a draw, and the top two point-getters in each group automatically move on to the next stage of the competition — a 32-team single-elimination tournament. An additional eight teams with the most points among the groups will round out the teams competing for the world title.

The U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team has already won its first two games, won its group, and secured a place in the knockout round. This is the first time a U.S. Men’s soccer team has won its group since 2010 and the first time an American men’s team has won two games in a row since 1930 — the year the World Cup began. The team accomplished this while one of its biggest stars, Christian Pulisic (who has been nicknamed “Captain America”), was out with an injury.

The U.S. has one of the most inspiring men’s soccer teams in decades, and if you’re not cheering for America’s team, you’re missing out. The team will have its final group stage game on June 25, and now is the perfect time to jump on the Team USA bandwagon.

World Cup excitement is sweeping through the U.S., and more than 2 million people have already visited FIFA Fan Festivals — a celebration of all things soccer held in World Cup host cities. The festivals, most of which are free to attend, broadcast World Cup games on huge screens, giving fans a central place to gather, cheer, and have an in-person soccer experience without having to shell out hundreds of dollars for a game-day ticket.

The FIFA Fan Festival in Atlanta, Georgia, hosted almost 275,000 visitors, including my family, in the first 10 days of the World Cup. My husband and son are huge soccer fans, and on Friday, we drove to Atlanta to watch the U.S. Men’s soccer team defeat Australia.

Photo by Meg Brock.

I felt the patriotic energy as soon as we arrived in Atlanta, which was decked out in FIFA signage and imagery of top soccer players. My family and I were dressed head to toe in Team USA attire, and fellow USA fans were already greeting us with “USA” cheers while we parked our car.

We arrived at the FIFA Fan Fest entrance at 1 p.m., two hours before the U.S. played, and hordes of people were already lined up to get in. When the gates opened, large swaths of the crowd made a beeline for the Bank of America bracelet booth, which had gone viral for giving free bracelets with unique FIFA charms. Visitors have reportedly waited in line for up to four hours to snag one of the bracelets, and when we watched, the line swelled to hundreds of people in just minutes. It’s easy to understand why FIFA Fan Festival bracelets are so popular: They are cute, they’re free, and you can’t buy them in a store. You have to attend the event to get a bracelet, and there is something particularly cool about that.

While entrance into the festival is free, you are only allowed to bring in water, and the available food and drink were pricey. A round of Coca-Cola for my family of four cost over $26. But it was worth the price to have the peak Americana moment of drinking a cold Coca-Cola (which originated in Atlanta) in the summer heat, decked out in patriotic gear, while watching America’s team play a World Cup game on home turf. It was a once-in-a-lifetime moment I will always remember, and I hope my kids remember it too.

An aerial view of the Atlanta FIFA Fan Festival. Photo by Meg Brock.

My family enjoyed walking around and getting caught up in the World Cup excitement, and it was wonderful to see so many Americans proudly dressed in red, white, and blue. At the start of the game, the crowd of thousands gathered in front of the main stage stood and sang along to the national anthem, united in its support of Team USA.

It was good for the soul to be a part of that moment. The online world is filled with constant reminders of the sharp ideological and political divisions within our nation, but sports have the power to bring us together and remind us of our shared humanity. Getting offline and getting out into the real world to cheer for America’s team reminded me of how hospitable, kind, and fun the majority of Americans are.

You don’t have to love soccer to love rooting for America. But be careful, FIFA fever is highly contagious, and you might just fall in love with the beautiful game.