America Is Going to Really, Really Miss the World Cup

Now that it’s over, and it worked, can we declare ourselves a proper soccer country? Do we dare call it football? Or even fútbol? Is the U.S. now a nation that sings like Argentina, rows like Norway and punishes beer kegs like the thirsty Scottish Tartan Army? Or do we just revert to whining about our dopey NFL fantasy teams? As the fireworks clear from Spain’s 1-0 victory over Argentina Sunday, let’s take a moment to bask in the afterglow and pungent ranch dressing burps of the just-completed 2026 North American World Cup.