The Great American Sleepover: A World Cup and a World United

International soccer fans who thronged to the United States for the World Cup finals got along famously with the Americans who welcomed them. Maybe it’s only our governments that believe we are at odds.

Every four years, the World Cup does something remarkable. It brings millions of people together with a love of soccer (a.k.a. football or futball). For many international visitors, the 2026 World Cup brought them to the United States for the first time. They arrived in droves expecting world-class soccer, but what they didn’t expect was the warmth of everyday Americans.

While our media and governments often sow seeds of hostility and fear, countless World Cup visitors posted videos showing how welcomed they felt. Across cities, regions, restaurants, neighborhoods, and stadiums, stories emerged of strangers showing how much they were enjoying each other. Fans wearing rival jerseys posed together for photos. Conversations began over a shared meal and ended with invitations to visit each other again. Some called it the “Great American Sleepover” and asked if our “cousins” could come back again next year because people were having so much fun.

Many visitors discovered just how expansive the United States is. Traveling from one host city to another often meant covering distances that, in Europe, would cross several national borders. They discovered regional traditions, accents, landscapes, and foods that make every host city feel like its own unique destination. From Tex-Mex to New York pizza, Kansas City barbecue to Southern comfort food, every meal became another opportunity to experience a different culture.

Stories abound of local volunteers helping visitors navigate public transportation. Parties erupted in the streets. More than 35,000 people turned out for the “Dutch Orange Walk” in downtown Kansas City, not far from my home. The American enthusiasm for the World Cup visitors could be seen far and wide.

We Really Are One Spirit

While systems of power may try to convince us that we are separate or opposed to one another, the World Cup reminded me that most people genuinely want to get along. We want to laugh together, share food, and celebrate our cultures. We want peace.

Unity has long taught that there is one presence and one power active in all people. Beneath our histories, opinions, and traditions lives the same divine spark. We are not separate souls trying to find common ground. We are expressions of one Spirit seeking to recognize ourselves in each another.

Perhaps that’s why sporting events like the World Cup move us so deeply.

Yes, there was competition. Yes, there were victories and heartbreaks. But there was also something larger unfolding. For a few weeks, millions of people willingly gathered with those who speak different languages and call different places home. They laughed, sang, celebrated together, and discovered that connection comes much more easily than fear would have us believe.

This Is the Truth We Know

This is what happens when we choose curiosity over judgment, when we welcome rather than divide. Jesus consistently crossed cultural boundaries. He spoke with people others ignored. He ate with those society rejected. Again and again, he reminded us that God’s love is never confined by geography, nationality, or identity.

Every four years, the World Cup offers a modern glimpse of this truth. For a few weeks, the world becomes a neighborhood.

Long after the final whistle blows and stadiums grow quiet, perhaps the greatest victory isn’t measured in goals scored or trophies lifted. It is measured in the friendships formed. In the stereotypes discarded. In the willingness to see the Christ presence in every person.

To all the visitors who experienced the United States for the first time, I say thanks for sharing your joy with us, and we hope you’ll come back again real soon. Go team!