The FIFA World Cup kicked off in Mexico this afternoon, and the first games in Canada and the U.S. are tomorrow. It’s been over thirty years since America hosted the Cup in 1994. Reporter for the Louisiana Soccer Association Paul Boron said from sold-out SEC stadiums for warm-up matches to life-changing Waffle House trips, the excitement is palpable for both local and international fans.
“Culturally, it’s gonna be great for a lot of our visitors coming here to America, and I think for American fans it’s gonna be great as well,” he said.
The U.S. Men’s National Team has its first game of the group stage tomorrow night against Paraguay. The stars and stripes will also have group matches against Australia and Turkey. Boron said this year’s team could be one of the nation’s best. They can certainly score, but he has questions of the defense.
He said, “I think they’re a good team, and I think a run to the round of 16 and maybe the quarter finals is a possibility.”
The top two teams from each group and the top eight teams to finish third in their groups advance to the 32-team knockout round. USA’s matchup with Paraguay is set for 8 p.m. in Los Angeles.
Over the next five weeks, 104 matches will be played across the three countries. The cheapest tickets to get into even low-demand group stage games are upwards of $200. Tickets to the final range from more than $8,000 to over $50,000. Boron said FIFA’s pricing could backfire.
“There’s gonna be some empty seats in these stadiums because of the way FIFA released the tickets,” he said. “The big hope is that all these tickets are gonna come crashing down, and maybe people will be able to afford to get in.”
The nearest host sites to Louisiana are Houston, Dallas, and Atlanta.