BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 26. The United States hopes visitors to the 2026 FIFA World Cup will remember the country's passion for football and its hospitality, U.S. Embassy spokesperson Anthony Tranchina told Trend on the sidelines of the "USA-Türkiye World Cup Watch Party" hosted by the embassy in Baku.
"I hope they'll remember that the United States is a country that loves football, or as we call it in the United States, soccer," Tranchina said.
According to him, many people mistakenly believe that Americans do not care about football, but the atmosphere at World Cup matches proves otherwise. Tranchina noted that U.S. hosting the 1994 FIFA World Cup sparked his own interest in football.
"When I was a little kid, I never saw a football game until 1994 when the US hosted the World Cup for the first time. That's what got me interested in football," he said.
He expressed hope that the tournament would inspire both Americans and visitors from around the world to embrace the sport.
"I think that this will provide an opportunity for Americans and visitors from around the world to fall in love with soccer as they see the US along with our Mexican co-host hosting the World Cup," Tranchina said.
Speaking about the role of sport in bringing people together, Tranchina said his diplomatic career has allowed him to live and work in different countries, including Azerbaijan.
"I am privileged that I have a career that takes me around the world, and Azerbaijan is the sixth country that I've served in. I root for the countries, I support the countries that I've lived in. I support their football teams," he said.
According to Tranchina, many Americans support not only Team USA but also the national teams of the countries where their families come from or where their friends are from.
"We are a country that has people from all over the world. I'm of Italian descent myself, and I have family members that support Italy, which is not in the Cup this year," he said.
Tranchina said this reflects the welcoming nature of the United States as this year's World Cup co-host.
"It shows that the United States is a country that is welcoming the world, we want to showcase American hospitality, we want to showcase American tourism, and we're so happy to welcome the world this year in 2026," he said.
