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‘A surprising success’: US, Mexico and Canada fans on hosting the World Cup
The Guardian gathered reactions from football fans across the United States, Mexico and Canada on hosting this summer's World Cup, with contributors describing an experience marked by warmth and enthusiasm despite steep costs and organisational frustrations. Contributors from Boston to Vancouver described vibrant street scenes, welcoming locals and unforgettable moments, even as many felt shut out by high ticket prices and Fifa's commercial grip on host cities, suggesting the tournament succeeded through fan spirit rather than official planning.
Specific accounts included a Boston fan praising the influx of Scottish supporters and citywide excitement despite expensive tickets and concerns about the political climate; a Guadalajara resident describing subdued pre-tournament mood turning into joyous watch parties, including scenes of Colombian fans celebrating for hours after beating DR Congo; and a Vancouver fan calling the Egypt v New Zealand match a "flawless" experience thanks to smooth transport and welcoming diaspora communities. Another contributor, drawing on having attended the 2010 South Africa World Cup, criticised this tournament's host cities as too spread out across the US, Mexico and Canada, diluting the concentrated atmosphere seen in past events.
In short
- Fans in US, Mexico, Canada praised World Cup atmosphere despite high prices
- Boston, Guadalajara and Vancouver fans highlighted warm, joyful experiences
- Critics noted host cities were too spread out compared with 2010 South Africa
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The tournament succeeded precisely because it brought World Cup football to three nations simultaneously, creating a broader continental celebration and demonstrating that the traditional concentrated model is unnecessary. Fan accounts from Boston to Vancouver reveal that what matters most—genuine joy, intercultural warmth, and memorable shared moments—flourished regardless of geographical spread, suggesting a distributed format can actually deepen participation by making the tournament accessible across wider regions and enabling more communities to experience the spectacle.
The case against
Hosting across three countries fundamentally diluted the immersive, unified atmosphere that defines World Cups and made the tournament accessible primarily to wealthy fans. The widespread praise of fan spirit actually underscores a troubling reality: the tournament succeeded despite structural failures in organisation and Fifa's commercial prioritisation, not because of them. High ticket prices excluded working-class supporters, and the geographical diffusion meant no single nation or host city experienced the concentrated energy and legacy benefits that single-country tournaments provide, making this format inferior to proven alternatives.
Explained simply
The football World Cup was jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada for the first time this summer. This marked a departure from the traditional format where a single nation hosts the tournament, with matches instead spread across all three countries.
Fans who attended reported mixed experiences, with many describing vibrant atmospheres and welcoming local communities at venues and in host cities. However, many supporters also faced obstacles including steep ticket prices and restrictions on how Fifa allowed the host cities to operate commercially.
This was the first World Cup to be held across three nations simultaneously, creating a markedly different format from previous tournaments. The geographical scale meant supporters were distributed across a much larger area than in previous World Cups hosted by a single country.
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