KANSAS CITY, Mo.— The worries before the World Cup were many.
There were the visa wait times, the ticket prices, anxieties over hotel rooms and public transit, and countless battles between FIFA and local organizing committees.Now, with the group stage done and the knockout round set to begin Sunday, it is time to declare: The North American World Cup has been a success.No doubt there were visitors who were turned away, would-be attendees who could not afford tickets, and hotels and local businesses who feel the promised bump in tourism hasn't materialized.But overall, the stadiums have been full, even for matchups that seemed lackluster on paper: nearly 70,000 people packed into stadiums to see games like Cape Verde-Saudi Arabia, Algeria-Jordan and Bosnia and Herzegovina-Qatar.And for headliner events, the environment has been top-tier, like at the U.S.-Australia game in Seattle and in Kansas City for Lionel Messi's historic hat trick for Argentina.Visitors and hosts alike have been dazzled by the scenes.
Kansas City was swarmed with tens of thousands of Dutch fans for a pre-game march.Boston was besieged by the Tartan Army.
Australian fans seized their chance to come to the closer North American coast, where they packed the stands and belted "Waltzing Matilda." And of course, the games have been terrific.Now, the knockout round is set, with some blockbusters shaping up for the Round of 16 and beyond.Read on for more takeaways from the tournament so far:Some pre-tournament favorites have looked good, like Argentina.
Others have underwhelmed, like Portugal.Some have mixed their good and bad moments, like England, Germany and Brazil.But one team has consistently looked a cut above the rest: France.
Les Bleus had supposedly drawn one of the toughest groups at this World Cup, with dark horses Senegal and Norway competing with them for the top spot.After a sluggish first half to start their opener against Senegal, France turned on the gas and has cruised ever si...