'A really cool opportunity' – excitement builds among U.S. soccer fans in countdown to World Cup draw

VIDEO SHOWS: SOCCER FANS IN SEATTLE, ATLANTA, AND WASHINGTON, D.C. TALK ABOUT THEIR HOPES FOR THE UPCOMING WORLD CUP BEING STAGED IN THE U.S., MEXICO AND CANADA. SHOWS: BUDAPEST, HUNGARY (FILE – SEPTEMBER 8, 2025) (REUTERS – Access all) 1. CRISTIANO RONALDO JOGGING PAST AMONGST TEAMMATES & NEXT TO MEMBER OF COACHING TEAM DURING TEAM PORTUGAL TRAINING  2. RONALDO WARMING UP AMONG TEAMMATES  3. VARIOUS OF RONALDO DURING RONDO DRILL ATLANTA, GEORGIA, UNITED STATES (DECEMBER 2, 2025) (REUTERS-Access all) 4. VARIOUS EXTERIORS OF BREWHOUSE SOCCER AND SPORTS BAR  5. BAR SCENE AT BREWHOUSE 6. BAR PATRON ALAN TIDWELL DRINKING A BEER  7. (SOUNDBITE)(English) BAR PATRON ALAN TIDWELL, SAYING: "I love that it has come here. You know, it's not necessarily surprising because I know they're trying to grow soccer in this country and it's a big market for it and so that's good overall because I want to see soccer keep progressing in the States." 8. WHITE FLASH. 9. (SOUNDBITE)(English) BAR PATRON ALAN TIDWELL, SAYING: "I'm excited but by the same token I don't know if I'll make it to a match or not. It's kind of expensive and so we'll just have to see how that plays out. I haven't got any tickets yet, but you know, I might, you know, call it as once in a lifetime type of thing, so.." 10. WIDE VIEW OF BAR PATRON WATCHING TV 11. BAR PATRON ALFEO DIXON, 56, SHOWING OFF A SOCCER-THEMED SCARF HE DESIGNED 12. (SOUNDBITE) (English) BAR PATRON ALFEO DIXON SAYING:       "You know. Right now Doku I'd have to say [Jeremy] Doku is one of my favorite players on [Manchester] City right now." 13. WHITE FLASH 14.(SOUNDBITE) (English) BAR PATRON ALFEO DIXON SAYING:  "It's ridiculously unattainable for the average fan, which is really sad that you know, even World Cup or Club World Cup, there were a lot of empty seats because the tickets were overpriced and people were just weren't going to pay that price to come and see a team. Even you know, that it was their favorite team across the country. Now a lot of supporters did because they got a better better pricing with the supporter groups, with the with their respective teams and official groups." 15. VARIOUS OF 32-YEAR-OLD  SOCCER FAN AND BAR PATRON  ARIANNA ADAME, A CALIFORNIA RESIDENT VISITING FAMILY FOR THE HOLIDAYS PLAYING DARTS AT BAR 16.(SOUNDBITE) (English) SOCCER FAN ARIANNA ADAME, SAYING:      "So my favorite team I would say is Newcastle United Football Club. And then from my Mexican side would be Chivas." 17. WHITE FLASH 18. (SOUNDBITE) (English) SOCCER FAN ARIANNA ADAME, SAYING:       "Yeah, so I've been watching soccer since I was a kid with my Dad. And now I've been watching soccer. My husband plays soccer here in America and so I've just kind of grown up with it and now that I'm an adult I play or I watch and play a little bit myself." 19. WHITE FLASH 20. (SOUNDBITE) (English) SOCCER FAN ARIANNA ADAME, SAYING: "So I'm looking forward to the World Cup coming soon. I am living in California so I think I will try to go to San Francisco, maybe LA and I think even Seattle and possibly Mexico, hopefully for sure Mexico." MILAN, ITALY (FILE – NOVEMBER 15, 2025) (REUTERS – Access all) 1. VARIOUS OF STRIKER ERLING HAALAND AMONGST TEAMMATES WARMING UP DURING NORWAY TRAINING  2. PLAYERS WARMING UP  3. COACH STALE SOLBAKKEN  WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES (FILE – FEBRUARY 8, 2025) (REUTERS – Access all) 24. VARIOUS EXTERIORS OF KENNEDY CENTER WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES (FILE-AUGUST 22, 2025) (UNRESTRICTED POOL) 25. (SOUNDBITE) (English) PRESIDENT, GIANNI INFANTINO HANDING THE WORLD CUP TROPHY TO PRESIDENT  DONALD TRUMP, SAYING: "It is the trophy that the winner of the FIFA World Cup wins. Only the FIFA president, presidents of countries, and then those who win can touch it, because it's for winners only. And since you are a winner, of course you can as well touch it. It's pretty heavy. It's the winner trophy. The last one who lifted that is Leo Messi, Leonard Messi of Argentina. And here it is in the Oval Office in the White House." 26.(SOUNDBITE) (English) PRESIDENT TRUMP SAYING: "Can I keep it?"" WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES (DECEMBER 2, 2025) (REUTERS-Access all) 27. GENERAL VIEW OF SPORTS BAR INTERIOR 28. VARIOUS OF KISHEN NAIR, 28, PILOT FOR QATAR AIR, WATCHING TV IN BAR 29. (SOUNDBITE)(English) KISHEN NAIR, SAYING:      "I''m an England fan, I'm a Tottenham fan. So Harry Kane is my player all the time, yeah." 29A. WHITE FLASH 30. (SOUNDBITE) (English) KISHEN NAIR, 28, PILOT FOR QATAR AIR, SAYING:     "I really think the World Cup can help. But,  what I'm saying is this is because of Qatar -it definitely helped. So football became a huge thing after the World Cup in Qatar. So I'm sure it's going to help here after the World Cup. Yeah, especially popularity among children. It grew tremendously in Qatar.  Yeah, I was there. I lived it for now. It's super famous back there. They keep getting all these clubs to come in and have friendly matches. So it's all because of the World Cup. This is definitely going to happen for sure." 31. (SOUNDBITE) (English) MICK BURKE, 42, BARTENDER FROM DUBLIN, VISITING THE U.S., SAYING:       "I would like to see the likes of Argentina with Messi. I'd love to see him play. I've never seen him play. I've seen Ronaldo play a lot, just Messi , I know he's near the end of his career, but he's phenomenal." 32. SOUNDBITE) (English) DOREEN BONNETT, 65, FROM MARYLAND, AND ATTORNEY LEONARD TOBER, 69, FROM MARYLAND, SAYING: BONNETT: "In this area though, like you said. [MLS team] DC United- bad!! – TOBER: They're not good,  they were really good 15 years ago." BONNETT:. "But the Washington Spirit – the women's team – gangbusters." 33. (SOUNDBITE) (English) ATTORNEY LEONARD TOBER, 69, SAYING: "So it'll be interesting to see where the U.S. gets put because our team is fair. Okay? We have a brand new coach who is really well known in the world, and if you walked out on H street here, nobody would know who he is. He's really known elsewhere in the world. But the Americans have some decent players, but they're more well-known in Europe than they are here."  SEATTLE, WASHINGTON UNITED STATES (DECEMBER 2, 2025) (REUTERS-Access all) 34. EXTERIOR OF  THE GEORGE & DRAGON PUB 35. PATRONS AT GEORGE & DRAGON PUB  36. SOCCER FAN AND CLIMATE CHANGE POLICY ADVOCATE JAMES MOSCHELLA, 33, OF SEATTLE WATCHING TV IN PUB 37. (SOUNDBITE) (English) JAMES MOSCHELLA, 33, OF SEATTLE, SAYING: “I'm excited, it’s good football. It's a really cool opportunity to see a lot of cool teams, big play, big names, big players, experience like the culture and community that comes with the World Cup. All here, right in Seattle, right in the States. I’m, there's no other reason not to be excited." 38. MOSCHELLA AND OTHERS AT GEORGE & DRAGON PUB 39. (SOUNDBITE) (English) CLIMATE CHANGE POLICY ADVOCATE JAMES MOSCHELLA, 33, OF SEATTLE   “I think at the end of the day, man, people miss out that, here, like we wake up at 7 a.m., 6 a.m. to go watch a Premier League game. We come to the pub, we hang out with friends, we sing songs,  we have a good time. So there's a lot of dedicated people here that just because they weren't born in Europe or born in South America doesn't mean they're any less of a fan. And I think the thing that gets missed sometimes and, you know, I'll watch this sport more than I'll watch American football or basketball or hockey or anything else. So, people are just as dedicated here as anywhere else.” 40. FANS AT PUB WATCHING A GAME ON TV 41. THE GEORGE & DRAGON PUB OWNER DANIEL PAGARD, 44, OF SEATTLE BEHIND THE BAR 42.(SOUNDBITE) (English) GEORGE & DRAGON PUB OWNER DANIEL PAGARD, SAYING: “I want to see the U.S. men's national team play here in Seattle. What is the definition of a once in a lifetime opportunity to see your national team play in your hometown? It's probably the one and only time I’m ever going to see that in my life.” 43.DANIEL PAGARD SPEAKING TO A PUB PA…

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