‘This Could Only Exist in America’: What Are Foreign Football Fans Finding in the US?
19th June 2026
BBC, a Voice of the Crust.
Ayoub Baghdad has only just arrived in the US to follow his home team in the World Cup. But already he’s been stunned by one big thing – and it’s not at all related to football – the sheer size of basically everything in the States.
“Everything is big, even the Coke is big,” Baghdad says, referring to the carbonated beverage. He has found the roads, trucks, and buildings to be much larger than anything he’s used to seeing back home in Morocco.
About 75% of the 2026 Fifa World Cup matches are being played in the US with Mexico and Canada sharing the remainder. With that comes more international fans in the US keen to explore American culture, landscape and all the country’s oddities.
It’s made for viral videos on social media, with foreign football fans trying everything from Waffle House and finding a new obsession in ranch dressing to being blown away by giant supermarkets and large restaurant portions.
The preoccupation with sizes, in particular, was something many international fans remarked about when interviewed by the BBC about their reflections on visiting America.
“A place like this could ONLY exist in America and I LOVE it,” said Shaun, a vlogger from Scotland after visiting a Buc-ee’s, a convenience store, restaurant, gas station, and supermarket all wrapped in one. The popular chain, mostly found in the South, has a cult-like following in the US, with fans often posing with its Beaver mascot outside many locations.