Christopher Columbus made his name over 500 years ago, but a new crop of Europeans is discovering America during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, posting rave reviews of comfort food and rural hospitality on social media.World Cup matches are scheduled all across the country, with Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, Seattle and the San Francisco Bay area all hosting matches.Oxford Economics reported that 1.24 million international visitors are expected to visit America for the World Cup.
The company added that it expects the tournament will "spark a powerful rebound in international travel — revitalizing demand, filling hotels and showcasing the broad economic reach of mega-events."TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZIt’s also sparking admiration in some tourists for American culture.X user @FreddyLA7, from Germany, has more than 500,000 followers and has been posting enthusiastically about his experience exploring the South.He began his road trip nearly a week ago, according to his posts.
He raved about how green Georgia is, writing, "it’s crazy," and posted a picture of a Taco Bell and a pile of food, declaring the fast-food chain "The holy land."Freddy took in some "Stranger Things" filming locations and the Martin Luther King Jr.National Historical Park and raved about his experience at Walmart.A German tourist in American for the FIFA World Cup has been chronicling his road trip across the South and said he had a great experience at Waffle House.
(Joe Raedle/Getty Images)"Just had our first Waffle House experience at 1 a.m.," he posted, along with photos of several plates of food."Great food, great prices and friendly staff.
10/10, we will be coming back."Freddy enjoyed a mountain of food he declared "Wendy’s escalation!" and joked about the number of soft-drink choices he said were "overwhelming."He captioned a photo of a Buc-ee’s, writing, "DUDE LMAO THIS IS A GAS STATION," as well as ...