World Cup Fans Came For Soccer. They Ended Up Falling In Love With America.

A German World Cup fan named Freddy spent the past week driving through Georgia, Alabama, and Texas, documenting every stop along the way. He posted about Waffle House at one in the morning and praised the customer service, and that same week, he stood inside a Buc-ee's in visible disbelief and marveled at the size of Bass Pro Shops, sharing photos of the many guns that were for sale. He became obsessed with country music playing on local radio stations (who doesn't love Ella Langley?), and repeatedly expressed amazement at the kindness of complete strangers. Despite most states appearing like concrete jungles, he was amazed at how green and lush the South was. 

Under normal circumstances, none of this would be particularly noteworthy, yet Freddy's posts have attracted hundreds of thousands of followers during his travels across the United States. Reading through his account feels almost like reading the journal of someone who arrived expecting one thing and discovered something completely different.

Americans are seeing the country through someone else's eyes for once, and we’re all observing visitors fall in love with a country we’ve taken for granted. Even something as simple as Freddy raving about a Taco Bell meal with his friends has become strangely endearing, probably because we have been inundated with posts, articles, and videos focused almost entirely on negativity. Political division dominated our headlines, while social media rewarded outrage and scathing comments. The loudest voices often seemed determined to convince everyone that the country's best days were behind it. But thanks to all of the tourism, Americans are getting an unexpected reminder of what makes their country special. If the reaction online is any indication, patriotism may be making a comeback.

An America Worth Talking About

The World Cup brought more than a million international visitors to the United States, and many of them started talking about an entirely different America. After spending days touring the country, they all took to social media to talk about hospitality. They raved about the generosity they experienced, and one British couple opened up about how a random man in a cowboy hat in Texas bought their drinks.

Others talked about communities that welcomed them like neighbors. In Kansas, Algeria's national team was met with an outpouring of support, from a band that played the country's national anthem upon arrival to the crowds of locals who showed up to watch practices and cheer them on. Plenty of tourists from Scotland, Japan, England, Germany, you name it, talked about the food, the freedom, and the pleasure of driving through a country so large and varied that every few hundred miles feels like a different place entirely.

When you've spent years hearing about everything that's wrong with America, eventually that's what you start looking for.

It’s all so wholesome and refreshing. But more than that, in the process of documenting their experiences, they remind many Americans of something they had forgotten. I mean, most of us laughed at Freddy's enthusiastic posts because most of us know exactly what Buc-ee's is. But many of us also laughed because we forgot how absurd (and awesome) Buc-ee's actually looks to someone seeing it for the first time. Many of the experiences that leave foreign visitors in awe are things Americans take for granted every day.

When you grow up surrounded by something your entire life, it becomes invisible. When you've spent years hearing about everything that's wrong with America, eventually that's what you start looking for. You stop noticing the abundance in grocery stores because it’s normal and expected. Instead, you hyperfixate on the long checkout lines. You stop noticing how many different cuisines are available on a single street because you see them every day, and you’re probably used to eating amazing food anyway. You stop noticing how dramatically the landscape changes from one region to another. You've probably been made to think that the greenery is all so boring. Worst of all, you've forgotten how much there is to appreciate about your home.

The visitors arriving for the World Cup haven't. One British man who has lived in America for years recently shared a list of things he loves about the country. His praises mirrored those of tourists who visited in recent weeks. At the top of that list were the people. "The amount of love, kindness, support, help, service and just joy that I've experienced from Americans in my time here in these 14 years has been completely unmatched," he said.

Freddy can relate. He recalled preparing to walk through the rain to avoid paying for transportation when a hotel receptionist decided to drive him and his friends to the stadium. None of these stories involve celebrities, lavish things, or exciting experiences. Most of these stories would never become national news, especially the ones about American hospitality.

Maybe Americans Don't Hate Everyone After All

For years, Americans have been told that their neighbors are the problem. Every election cycle seems to reinforce the idea that the country is permanently divided into opposing camps that can no longer understand one another. Social media has only accelerated that perception by amplifying conflict and pushing the most extreme voices to the forefront.

What often gets lost in the process is that most people are not spending their days fighting culture wars. Most people are going to work or raising their children. Most people are actually community-driven and focused on helping neighbors, attending church, coaching Little League teams, cheering at high school football games, and trying to build decent lives. The tourists arriving for the World Cup are encountering that version of America, and their observations have served as a useful reminder that it still exists.

Perhaps nowhere has that been more visible than in Lawrence, Kansas. When Algeria selected the city as its World Cup base camp, nobody expected the relationship that would follow. Within days, local businesses were creating welcome videos in Arabic and French. Residents appeared on Algerian television expressing their support for the team. Fans packed public training sessions. Algerian players spent time with local children, toured the community, and embraced the city's culture. The affection quickly became mutual. It's hard not to think about the years people have spent insisting that red-leaning states are uniquely racist and bigoted. Kansas has completely demolished that idea by reminding us all that many Americans are, at their core, kind and loving. 

One Algerian fan living in the area described Lawrence as one of the best places he had visited and praised the kindness and welcoming nature of the people. Local residents, meanwhile, seemed genuinely invested in Algeria's success despite having no previous connection to the team. For a few weeks, thousands of people from completely different backgrounds found common ground through simple human interaction. You won’t get that energy online. In fact, if you spend enough time on social media, you begin to believe that everyone hates each other. 

Tourists Can't Stop Raving About American Restaurants

That’s why I urge everyone to see tourists documenting their experiences and offering a glimpse of real life beyond the screen. Their “mundane” posts act as a reminder that you, too, can enjoy life in America. After all, many of these tourists seem to be having the time of their lives eating food that Americans barely think twice about. A Japanese visitor wrote a lengthy reflection about ordering biscuits and gravy for the first time. Initially, he thought the dish looked terrible. After tasting it, he ended up writing a humorous apology to the entire Southern breakfast tradition and describing the meal as magnificent.

Another visitor from the United Kingdom joked that nobody had adequately prepared him for how good American food actually tastes. European tourists have enthusiastically reviewed everything from barbecue and sweet tea to chain restaurants that Americans frequently mock: Think Golden Corral, Denny's, or Taco Bell. Places that people usually treat as punchlines are being discussed by foreign visitors with sincere appreciation.

For a brief moment, the World Cup has allowed people to step outside the usual cycle of outrage and discontentment and view the country from a different angle. The result has been surprisingly wholesome. Americans who spent years hearing that their country was defined by division are watching visitors celebrate generosity, and people who became accustomed to seeing every headline framed around conflict are seeing stories centered on community.

Obviously, the World Cup came to America because of soccer. What many visitors have ended up documenting, however, has very little to do with the matches themselves. I’m sure they enjoyed the stadiums and tournaments, but what they praised the most was the hospitality, friendship, and a version of America that they didn’t know existed. And in doing so, they reminded millions of Americans that there is still plenty worth appreciating right outside their own front door.