new york, Jul 23
Sunil Gulati, the former president of the United States Soccer Federation, played a leading role in bringing the 2026 World Cup to North America. Following its close, he expects the game to only grow in the US after what he called was a hugely successful tournament.
“When I first started out (on this World Cup) and talked to our board about trying to bring it here, the important part was in fact not the 39 days that ended yesterday (Sunday)… Or the bid period, or the city selection.
It’s today,” Gulati, an economics professor at Columbia University in New York City, told The Telegraph a day after Spain beat Argentina to clinch their second World Cup title.
“It’s literally what does the landscape of the sport look like in the US the day after? I don’t mean literally the day after. But now, what does it do to accelerate the growth of the game? That’s what bringing the World Cup to the US has been about for us,” Gulati, who was president of the United States Soccer Federation from 2006-2018, emphasised.
The first-ever 48-team tournament hosted across the US, Canada and Mexico reached a record attendance of 6.8 million, averaging more than 65,000 fans per game. The final alone drew 38.937 million US viewers — including a peak of 51.685 million, Fox said on Tuesday. Striking in a country that calls football “soccer” and thrives on its baseball, NFL and the like.
“The younger generation are the ones that will carry football forward. The ratings for the US matches in this World Cup have been phenomenal. The game against Belgium had over 50 million viewers. Think about that. Now, in India, you know, India-Pakistan cricket match would be at a different level.
But 50 million is higher than any American sporting event other than the Super Bowl and one playoff game this year. Will that help in the future? The answer is yes,” the 66-year-old Gulati said.
India and the US have “lot of similarities” as football is neither’s No. 1 sport. So the challenges, Gulati said, are also similar.
“India has obviously a large population base and diverse communities different than in the US. But the landscape is dominated by a single sport. For India it’s cricket, and for US NBA and (American) football,” he said.
Cup posers
This World Cup was unique with its hydration breaks and expensive ticket prices. It’s being said that the US monetising everything was the reason behind the hydration break.
“Let’s be careful of the US idea. This was Fifa’s directive,” Gulati, who was born in Allahabad, said. “It was started in Qatar and it’s been used throughout the world in certain circumstances based on temperature and humidity. The addition here was to add it to all the games regardless of what the weather conditions were.”
As for the tickets, he said “prices for high-profile events have always been quite high” in the US.
“Whether that’s the Super Bowl, the World Series or more recently the New York Knicks’ (NBA champions) games here. Look at the World Cup in 1994. Those tickets were also expensive. High exposure events have always been that way in the US. It’s an affluent market.”
Major League Soccer, which started a few months before the 1994 World Cup, had its teething problems but now it’s going in the right direction, Gulati felt. Lionel Messi’s arrival at Inter Miami was their biggest coup, helping lift the game’s profile.
“Yes there were some problems in MLS. But now it’s robust. Inter Miami is the most successful team in the league. They have a phenomenal new stadium (Nu Stadium at Miami Freedom Park). I wouldn’t say it (MLS) was two steps forward and one step back. Maybe five steps forward and one step back and now it’s a lot of steps forward.”
Yet the men’s national team has not had success for a long time. This edition, they were battered 4-1 by Belgium in the Round of 16.
“We dream about staying longer in the World Cup. But then we’re still at a point where there are only eight countries who have won the World Cup. And four of them played in the semi-finals this year,” Gulati said.
“On the men’s side, you have 200-plus countries playing the sport very, very seriously. That’s a challenge. We are making progress and it is not linear. Ask Italy (failed to qualify for three consecutive World Cups) that same question. Or Brazil (the five-time champions have not won since 2002). It’s not an easy task to go the distance in a tournament like World Cup.”
