PD Editorial: Give World Cup fever a try

While President Donald Trump seems intent on tearing down America's international relationships, sports - specifically football, or soccer as Americans call it - might help rebuild them. The quadrennial men's World Cup is underway, and in eight years it returns to North America.

It is difficult to overstate global passion for soccer, especially when the World Cup comes around. Teams representing 32 countries began playing a week ago. One will return home a champion to a nation swelling with sporting pride. It won't be the U.S.

This year, the U.S. team did not qualify for the tournament after losing to the team from Trinidad and Tobago during qualifiers. Everyone had much higher hopes after the U.S. team advanced to the Round of 16 four years ago.

Without the U.S. team playing, domestic excitement is hard. Soccer, after all, remains a second-tier sport in America, behind the big three of football, basketball and baseball.

But the sport is a lot more popular than just a few years ago. Youth soccer is flourishing, especially as parents are increasingly aware of the risk of concussion in football.

American Major League Soccer is growing in popularity, too. Major networks including ESPN broadcast games, and the Bay Area's San Jose Earthquakes average 20,000 attendance at home games. It's even more popular to the north. In Portland, members of the Timbers Army are as passionate as the fans of any professional sports team. And the Cascadia rivalry between Portland, Seattle and Vancouver is fierce.

The World Cup returns to North America in 2026, with Mexico, Canada and the United States cohosting. Most of the matches will occur in the United States, and Levi Stadium in Santa Clara is on the short list of potential game sites. That could mean tens of thousands of visitors will descend on the Bay Area. Surely some will want to check out Wine Country while they are here. The least we could do as gracious hosts is respect and maybe even enjoy the sport that brings them.

Not that all fans are good guests. Last week, Mexican fans injected a homophobic slur into their chants during a match against Germany. FIFA, the world soccer governing body, acted quickly and fined Mexican organizers $10,000. Fortunately, those sorts of incidents are uncommon at World Cup matches.

Depending on the outcome of the 2020 election, America could still be rebuilding its reputation post-Trump. The 2026 World Cup, then, will be a chance to show that America wants to be part of a global community.

Plus we'll probably have a team in the tournament. Historically, the host country receives an automatic bid. Having three host countries is unprecedented, but given that the field will expand to 48 teams, all three could and should get in.

People around the world who don't follow the NFL probably find football as incomprehensible as many Americans find soccer. Give it a chance. The World Cup, like the Olympics, encourages friendly competition among nations. The rivalries, histories and characters are as compelling as in any other sport once you get to know them.

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