Why everyone (including USA star Christian Pulisic) is pumped for the World Cup in Miami
No one is a bigger star for the United States than Christian Pulisic and there’s nowhere he’d rather be for the 2026 FIFA World Cup than Hard Rock Stadium.
“Miami is a really exciting one for me,” the American midfielder said on Fox Sports 1 right after Miami Gardens was named as one of 16 host cities for the 2026 World Cup.
Even though Pulisic is originally from Pennsylvania, he singled out Miami-Dade County as the place he’s most excited about as a FIFA World Cup destination.
“My family is living down there,” said Pulisic, who currently plays for Chelsea F.C. in England’s Premier League. “That’s going to be an amazing atmosphere for sure.”
Pulisic, of course, is not alone. After the spectacle the Miami Grand Prix became last month and a long history of Super Bowls turning the region into weeks-long celebrations, South Florida — with its diverse, international population and penchant for parties — was always a natural destination for the World Cup.
As much glitz and glamour as Miami-Dade will surely attract for a World Cup, the lifelong soccer fans from Dade County are the most excited.
“As Joe Robbie dreamed, we are now a city that represents soccer within the United States,” said Ed Acle, an attorney from Pinecrest. “Right now, we’re just one of the cities. We hope to someday become ‘the city’ when people think about soccer in the United States.”
Added Duffy Huggins, a 40-year-old filmmaker from Miami’s Coconut Grove neighborhood: “It means a ton of a lot. This is the World Cup, as big as it gets, and for an international city like Miami to be able to host ... we might not even be cheering our home team. We’re going to be hosting people from Europe, Asia, South America, North America. They’re going to see what Miami is all about. We’re going to show them everything Miami has to offer.”
FIFA has still not yet announced which city will host which games in 2026, but the United States — rather than co-hosts Canada and Mexico — will host all matches from the quarterfinals on and Miami Dolphins CEO Tom Garfinkel said last month he met with World Cup officials to pitch Hard Rock as the site of the final.
If the USA does in fact play in Dade at some point in the 2026 World Cup, the timing might be perfect. Pulisic is 23 and it’s entirely possible the US might not have anyone older than 29 in its starting lineup at the 2022 World Cup this fall. It’s a roster shaping up to be in its prime in 2026 and the United States will have a real chance to go on its biggest run ever, just in time for it to host the tournament for the first time since 1994.
“By the time the 2026 World Cup rolls around they will be in their prime,” said Kendall’s Daniel Cardona, 41. “If there is ever a chance for us to win the World Cup it’s going to be in 2026 on our home soil. And having Miami as one of the hosts is amazing.”
Added 34-year-old Gabriel Miguel: “I think about where we were in ‘94 and I think about where we are now, I can see that the World Cup helped soccer for generations.”
Joey Flechas contributed reporting.
