RILEY GAINES: World Cup visitors are reminding Americans what makes this country great

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ©2026 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Legal Statement. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by LSEG. Gerry Baker hosts a panel discussion about the 2026 FIFA World Cup and its influence on American soft power. Jason Riley expresses skepticism about soccer's long-term popularity in the US, while Joseph Sternberg and Kim Strassel highlight how international visitors experienced American hospitality and daily life firsthand. The panelists debate whether the World Cup significantly boosted the country's global image. Some of the most wholesome stories on the internet lately haven't come from celebrities or influencers. They've come from people visiting America for the first time because of the World Cup. Take Sebastian, for example. Sebastian is a German soccer fan who flew to the United States initially apprehensive. Like so many people overseas, he'd spent years consuming headlines portraying America as a country overrun by crime, division and chaos.