This is embarrassing. There's no other way to say it.The 2026 World Cup is supposed to be soccer's grand moment in America. The United States is co-hosting with Canada and Mexico. This is the sport's chance to prove it belongs in the American sports landscape. And FIFA can't even sell out the host nation's opening match.Let me repeat that: FIFA is struggling to fill SoFi Stadium for the United States vs. Paraguay match. This isn't some group stage game between two countries nobody's heard of - this is the USMNT's World Cup debut on home soil, and tickets aren't moving.So what went wrong?Is it pricing? Are they trying to charge Super Bowl prices for a soccer match? Is it marketing? Did FIFA completely whiff on building excitement for this tournament? Or - and this is the uncomfortable question - do American sports fans just not care about soccer as much as everyone hoped?Look, I've been skeptical about soccer's growth in America for years, and I keep getting told I'm wrong. MLS is expanding, attendance is up, the next generation loves the sport. Fine. But if you can't sell out a World Cup match in Los Angeles featuring your own national team, what does that tell you?SoFi Stadium holds over 70,000 people. It's in the second-largest media market in the country. The World Cup comes around once every four years. This should be the easiest ticket in the world to sell.FIFA's disconnect with American fans is showing. Whether it's tone-deaf pricing, poor marketing, or fundamental misunderstanding of how to sell soccer in this country, somebody dropped the ball. And with the tournament less than two months away, they're running out of time to fix it.This was supposed to be a celebration. Instead, it's turning into a cautionary tale about FIFA's arrogance.
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