Global soccer fans — OK, football to you international readers — are flooding the U.S. this summer as 11 cities play host to the World Cup. But soccer isn’t the only thing they’re experiencing.
Now, there are many obvious differences between the U.S. and the countries these fans are visiting from — Germany, England, Spain and so on — from how governments work to what language people speak and even to what they call a sport where players kick around a black-and-white ball.
But these aren’t the things visitors are pointing out. Rather, it’s the vastness of America, the greenery and, hilariously enough, the truly American staples.
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A German visitor’s road trip
For the last five days, a German soccer fan named Freddy has been in the U.S., documenting his experiences on social media. He flew into the U.S. last Friday and has been road-tripping across the country since, attending games, exploring U.S. staples and just taking it all in.
His first major stop? Atlanta, where he went to a German bar and watched Germany vs. the U.S. and even checked out one of the stadiums being used for the World Cup.
And the truly American experiences started there. Freddy took time to check out “Stranger Things” filming locations and the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park. Even more American? He went to Taco Bell.
Freddy also noted the landscape.
“Atlanta is so green it’s crazy,” he wrote. “It feels like you’re in a forest the whole time.”
He also commented on the residential neighborhoods outside of Atlanta, saying, “The houses are insane wow.” All things that likely look a bit different than what he’s used to back in Germany.
From there, the truly American experiences continued. Along with Taco Bell, he has dined at Wendy’s and Chili’s and even took a pit stop at Waffle House, where he apparently ordered his hash browns smothered. Another X user commented, “Sorry you didn’t get to see a fight. Try the Waffle House down by the airport after midnight. Much better odds.”
From Atlanta, Freddy crossed into both Tennessee and Alabama on his way to Texas. He’s shared numerous videos of American landscapes, commenting on Chattanooga and how it “looks a bit like the rainforest.”
One of the posts that’s gotten the most attention, however, was from his visit to Buc-ees, an iconic gas station chain. He made the visit even more iconic by eating food there at 1 a.m. Now that is truly American.
He’s also commented on the vastness and size of things in America, specifically noting the sheer size of Auburn University’s 87,000-seat Jordan-Hare Stadium, normally used for American football but converted into a soccer pitch for a friendly match between defending World Cup champion Argentina and Iceland.
“This is the most ‘The European mind can’t comprehend this’ moment of my life,” Freddy wrote on X. “One of my friends said, ‘Punch me five times tomorrow, and I’ll still think this isn’t real.’”
The most American part of the trip, though? During the soccer match at Auburn, the school’s mascot, a live bald eagle, was seen flying around the stadium.
Another German, but this one is in Chicago
Freddy is not the only German soccer fan in the country. Fiago, a soccer influencer, is visiting Chicago for the World Cup and, as influencers do, is sharing his experience online.
He’s posted a series of photos and comments on X, noting his fascination with all things America.
Like Freddy, he’s tried some of the staples America has to offer, including Chicago’s Portillo’s.
“We waited about 30 minutes for our food, but the location itself is a highlight with so much cool old stuff, and they had some interesting beers at the bar that made our waiting time amazing,” Fiago wrote. “Definitely recommend this one to all my fellow Europeans if you’re in Chicago.”
He walked along the riverwalk in downtown Chicago, checked out the Cloud Gate sculpture, often referred to as “the bean,” met some other Germans visiting the city, and even walked into a Macy’s and was surprised to find a rather large American flag.
“To be honest with you, I only went in there because I desperately had to pee during my 4 [hour] walk, but wow, that’s a giant flag,” he wrote. “I respect how proud Americans are of their country, unimaginable back home in Germany.”
His praise for America hasn’t stopped there. He also shared a photo of people playing tennis in downtown Chicago, saying, “These people are doing everything right.”
And he, like Freddy, had a pretty American experience when attending a soccer match. On Tuesday, Fiago shared a video of a flyover at the game he was attending, saying, “First time experiencing this flyover Americans do before big sporting events, and I have to say it goes kinda hard.”
America as compared to… America
And while all these things these visitors are experiencing are classic America, one of the most unique things America has to offer is just that: its uniqueness. Fans from across the globe aren’t all coming to one state or one city; they’re attending games across the country.
And those visiting Chicago are going to have a vastly different experience from those visiting places like Kansas or Georgia.
It just shows how much culture there is in America itself, from southern accents and western mountains, to the New Jersey twang and Florida’s ocean views.
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