Lawmakers Join the World Cup Bandwagon

They’re streaming matches on their phones in between votes on Capitol Hill. They’re buying into the Team USA hype. And they’re thrilled that soccer fans from all over the world are experiencing American food and culture for the first time and going viral online with their enthusiasm.

In an era of sharp political divides in Congress, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are sharing in the excitement of the World Cup as the tournament enters knockout stage, with the United States set to face off against Bosnia and Herzegovina in a win-or-go-home game on Wednesday.

“I have it on my phone nonstop right now,” Sen. Andy Kim (D-New Jersey) told NOTUS, though he said he preferred the more passionate Telemundo Spanish language coverage over Fox’s English language broadcast.

Many are paying close attention, juggling their legislative responsibilities with three or four matches a day taking place across the U.S., Mexico and Canada in the first North American men’s tournament since 1994.

Kim told NOTUS: “I was 12 years old when the World Cup came around last time around. I remember going to a game with my dad, and so the idea that I got like an 8-year-old and a 10-year-old now, we’ve been breaking curfew on going to bed every night just to watch. I mean it’s just awesome.”

Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Missouri), one of the Senate’s star athletes who recently made ESPN’s top-10 highlight reel for making a spectacular diving catch at the Congressional Baseball Game, said he, too, was tuning in to the tournament, even if soccer is not his favorite sport.

“Obviously, the nationalism takes over,” Schmitt told NOTUS, indicating his support for Team USA.

Foreign visitors attending World Cup games in the U.S. have gone viral for their starstruck reactions to everyday American food staples, including 2 a.m. visits to Waffle House diners and Taco Bell restaurants. Some have also become obsessed with American ranch dressing. Fans of Scotland, nicknamed the “Tartan Army,” took Boston by storm, putting a serious strain on the beer supply in a city that is accustomed to big drinking.

“They drank the bars dry!” Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts) said. “We want them back. Scots, come back!”

Kim added, “I love all the people that are discovering the joys of Wawa in New Jersey, or the Jersey diners and delis.”

“I think what’s kind of cool, too, is seeing all these people from around the world experiencing America, going on social media, like, experiencing a Buc-ees and all it has to offer,” Schmitt said.

Sen. DIck Durbin (D-Illinois) said he’s been cheering on Cape Verde, a tiny archipelago nation off the coast of West Africa, which has been one of the darlings of the tournament.

“It’s been fun,” Durbin said.

Not everyone is on board with the beautiful game. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Missouri) admitted sheepishly he still needed a little help understanding the hype.

“I still don’t understand the game. Typical American,” he quipped.

Soccer has been steadily gaining ground in popularity in the U.S. Over the past 12 months, an average of 12% of Americans have described themselves as avid soccer watchers, according to YouGov, up from 8% in 2022. The women’s national soccer team, which has been far more successful than the men’s national team, has been a primary driver of the sport’s explosive growth in the U.S.

Indiana Republican Sen. Todd Young, co-chair of the Congressional Soccer Caucus , who played Division I soccer at the U.S. Naval Academy, called the sport a “great unifier.”

“People are going to arrive in droves, spend a lot of money, see our beautiful countries and want to come back,” he told Sirius XM. “The sport will continue to grow in the future.”

Young showed off his ball skills with a volley kick into a goal earlier this month as Team USA took the pitch for the first time, writing in a social media post, “any spots left on the squad for tonight?”

Lawmakers in the House are following along with the World Cup, too, though the conversation has at times devolved into partisan bickering.

Last week, after a trio of Democratic socialists won primary elections in New York City, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) criticized “radical left Democrats” who “spend their time criticizing the country” as opposed to the international visitors to the U.S. who have been marveling at its cities, food and culture during the World Cup.

“They’ve never known freedom,” Johnson said a news conference. “They’ve never known these kinds of things, and they’re seeing them for themselves. The genius of America’s system, a system that rewards risk-takers and entrepreneurs and job creators and innovators and people who create jobs for others and expand the economy and opportunity and broaden the pathway out of poverty for more people.”

“That’s what we promise to the voters, and that’s what we are delivering,” Johnson added, referring to the November midterm elections.

And despite the initial skepticism about the Trump administration’s ability to handle the incredible logistics and security challenges associated with co-hosting a World Cup, some Democrats are already calling it a big win for the country.

“I will do everything I can to get the World Cup back here as soon as possible. It’s been a remarkable success,” Pennsylvania Rep. Brendan Boyle posted on X last week. “I will also do everything I can to get the Tartan Army based in Philly. Their fans have won over America.”

Boyle will have to wait until at least 2038, the next chance for the U.S. to compete to host the tournament. Until then, there’s always the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.