Ted Lasso creator hopes United States is "mentally prepared" to the influx of foreign visitors for World Cup

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United States, a country mostly indifferent to association football, will become the center of the world of football this summer (with the Club World Cup about to begin) and specially next summer, with the 2026 World Cup, which will also be the largest ever, with 48 teams instead of the usual 32 in 16 different cities.

FIFA held an event starting a count down before the World Cup begins on June 11, 2026, with celebrities at the Fox Studio Lot in Los Angeles, a city under curfew because of the protests against the anti-immigration policies by Donald Trump's administration. The atmosphere was tense and there are fears and doubts on how a World Cup can be held in a country that puts such harsh policies on foreigners, with vice president JD Vance even joking about deporting fans.

In that context, one of the guests, Brendan Hunt, co-creator of the hit show Ted Lasso, about an American football coach managing a Premier League club, made some comments hoping that the country is prepared for the huge influx of foreign visitors they will receive.

"What America needs to get ready for with this World Cup is something that most Americans instinctively know, but just to make sure for those who don't - there will be many people here who were not born here. And just because they weren't born here, you don't need to be afraid of them."