Canada, the US, and Mexico may be neighbors, but they are very different culturally. How will the World Cup fan experience vary in each country? Our guide breaks it down.
Photo © Getty Images / Marco Bottigelli
Soccer (better known as football) is the world’s most popular sport, with around 5 billion fans worldwide according to FIFA. That’s 2.5 billion more than cricket, the second most popular sport. Soccer fans are known for their loyalty, passion, creative (and sometimes profane) chants, and rituals such as “tifos”. These are massive banners or mosaic-like displays made of squares of cardboard that fans hold up to form words or images – the designs are planned well in advance and can fill an entire stadium.
In June 2026, fans from around the world will bring this unique energy to the FIFA World Cup 2026. This tournament will be the largest of its kind ever held, and the first to be hosted by three nations: Canada, the US, and Mexico. 42 nations will compete in 104 matches.
If you’re planning to attend the World Cup but haven’t experienced major soccer matches before, what can you expect at the tournament? Read on to learn how soccer culture differs between nations, and what it will be like to watch the beautiful game played on such a grand scale.
Differences in soccer culture between nations
Mexico
Mexican fútbol culture is legendary. Mexico is one of the most soccer-obsessed countries in the world, right up there with England, Argentina, Brazil, Portugal, and Spain, and soccer is by far the most popular sport. Matches are noisy and boisterous affairs, and fans may end up showered with beer and popcorn.
Joe Furey, a former drug war correspondent frequently based in Mexico, told World Nomads, “Compared to the US and Canada, when I’ve watched football in Mexico the atmosphere has been rowdier, more physical, and more continuous – chanting that doesn’t stop, drums, flags, whole sections on their feet. But it's just ritual, not a menace. And the Mexican authorities know how to police it, at least in built-up areas with larger stadiums.”
Mexican soccer games are also family-friendly, with multiple generations in attendance – more so than Argentina or Brazil.
United States
Though many people in the US grow up playing soccer, and community soccer leagues can be seen on fields across the country, professional soccer has been relatively slow to catch on. Major League Soccer (MLS) still lags behind the national football, baseball, basketball, and hockey leagues in popularity. But the gap is closing.
Interest in soccer is at an all-time high, fueled by interest in international leagues such as the UK’s Premier League, the recent successes of the U.S. Men’s and Women’s National Teams, and the arrival of international superstars such as Lionel Messi and David Beckham on MLS teams. More than 11 million fans attended MLS matches in 2025.
And while the fervor of the fan base may not rival Mexico, there’s still plenty of passion. Avid fans of MLS teams have formed supporter groups who buy up blocks of seats at games, where they chant and create tifos.
The U.S. Men’s and Women’s National Teams have their own supporter group, the American Outlaws. They will be in full force at the FIFA World Cup 2026.
The Mexican National Team also has a massive and enthusiastic fan base in the US, with some 65 million supporters.
Canada
MLS, like the NHL, MLB, and NBA, has teams in both the US and Canada. While soccer is the most widely played sport in Canada, MLS ranks behind professional hockey, basketball, baseball, and both American and Canadian football as a spectator sport. But, as in the US, Canadian interest in soccer is growing – and the Canadian national team has become one of the best teams in North and Central America. Membership in the Voyageurs, Team Canada’s supporter group, is surging ahead of the FIFA World Cup.
Soccer culture at the FIFA World Cup
The atmosphere at World Cup stadiums might have more to do with the teams playing than with the host city or country. Each team’s set of fans will bring their own personality and traditions to the matches – for example, host cities are preparing for some 10,000 members of the Orange Army (fans of the Dutch team) to flood the streets as they march en masse towards the stadium.
All stadiums have seating sections for supporters – the national teams often set aside tickets for supporter groups such as the Voyageurs. These sections will feature chanting, face paint, silly hats, flags, tifas, and high levels of enthusiasm.
In other sections of the stadium, many fans might not have a strong preference for either team but are there for the experience. If fans bought tickets before the draw that determines who plays who in the opening matches, they wouldn’t have known which teams they’d end up watching. (I fall into this category – I’m American and my husband is Dutch, but the match we’ll be watching is Team Paraguay vs. Australia’s Socceroos.) In any case, the atmosphere will be electric.
The level of passion may be just as high at the Fan Festivals and Fan Zones. These events, put on by the host cities, are typically free and open to the public. The 2026 Fan Festivals will take place in iconic locations such as the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and Mexico City’s enormous Zócalo Plaza and may draw crowds up to 100,000. Reservations will likely be required, and security will be tight. Fan Zones are smaller events in neighborhoods around the host cities. Crowds will likely be smaller, and security less strict.
These events will feature live broadcasts of all the matches (not just those in the host city) and draw thousands of locals, domestic tourists, and international travelers who want to cheer on their national team with other like-minded fans.
Fan Zones won’t just be happening in host cities – they’ll also be held in cities across the host nations and around the world.
Team rivalries
The energy at any given match or fan festival will also depend heavily on the teams facing each other and how close the tournament is to the final. Certain soccer rivalries are especially contentious, including Brazil vs. Argentina, Serbia vs. Croatia, Germany vs. Netherlands – and USA vs. Mexico.
The USA vs. Mexico rivalry dates to 1934, but heated up in the 90s when professional soccer finally took off in the USA and matches actually became competitive. A couple of pivotal 2-0 victories by the USA stoked the fire over the following decades, leading US fans to taunt the Mexican team with chants of “Dos a Cero.”
The rivalry between the USA and Canada, while not as intense, dates back all the way to 1885, when the USA played its first-ever international match against Canada. The two countries currently have the biggest international hockey rivalry, having faced off in multiple Olympic finals and semifinals – most recently in the 2026 Olympics in Milan – and the current political climate between the two nations may also increase the animosity between soccer fans.
To prevent hooliganism at the World Cup, fans with a history of violence will be banned from traveling to the tournament. For the majority of fans, team rivalries are good-natured, and the World Cup is an opportunity to meet and mingle with other fans from around the world.
It’s going to be a World Cup for the ages.
Simple and flexible travel insurance
You can buy at home or while traveling, and claim online from anywhere in the world. With 150+ adventure activities covered and 24/7 emergency assistance.
Get a quote
No Comments