Sports

5 Things Most Americans Don’t Know About Soccer That This World Cup Might Change

By Curtis Jones · July 5, 2026

The World Cup is being played in American cities for the first time since 1994. Millions of Americans who have never watched a full soccer match are going to watch one this month. Here are five things that will make the experience make sense.

1. It’s supposed to be low-scoring

A 1-0 game is not boring — it’s tense. Every goal in soccer carries the weight of a touchdown, a grand slam, and a buzzer beater combined because there are so few of them. The average World Cup match produces 2.6 goals. The drama is not in the frequency of scoring — it’s in the scarcity. When a goal happens, it changes everything.

2. Ties are not only possible — they’re common and strategic

In the group stage, a draw earns each team one point. A win earns three. Teams that need only a point to advance will play for a draw deliberately — defending their position rather than risking a loss by chasing a win. This is not cowardice. It’s math. Once the tournament reaches the knockout rounds, ties are resolved through extra time and then penalty shootouts — which are the most dramatic five minutes in all of sports.

3. Offsides is simpler than it looks

A player is offside if they are closer to the opponent’s goal than both the ball and the second-to-last defender at the moment the ball is played to them. That’s it. The confusion comes from the timing — it’s not where the player is when they receive the ball, it’s where they were when the pass was made. VAR (video review) now checks every offside call with millimeter precision, which has made the calls more accurate and the debates louder.

4. Diving is real, controversial, and part of the game

Players exaggerate contact to win free kicks and penalties. It’s called simulation, and it is the single most divisive element of soccer for American audiences. Referees can issue yellow cards for simulation, and VAR has reduced the most egregious dives. But it hasn’t eliminated them. The best way to watch: accept that it happens, appreciate the calls that are overturned by video review, and save your outrage for the ones that aren’t.

5. The World Cup means more than any American sport’s championship

The Super Bowl is watched by 120 million Americans. The World Cup final is watched by 1.5 billion people worldwide. Countries that qualify for the World Cup declare national holidays. Countries that are eliminated enter periods of genuine national mourning. The emotional stakes are not comparable to any American sporting event because the World Cup represents national identity in a way that club sports cannot. When the US men’s national team plays this month, you’ll feel it — even if you’ve never felt it before.

The tournament runs through July 19. The final is at MetLife Stadium. You have time to get invested.