Is It Just Me or Did We All Feel Good as Hell During the World Cup?

Maja Hitij - FIFA//Getty Images4 min readIt was early in Brazil and Norway’s round-of-16 battle in New Jersey when someone captured the entire World Cup in a single sentence. This was a couple weeks ago, when soccer fever had officially captured North America, with Norwegian fans wondering what the hell a BuzzBallz is and Mexico’s Merlín the Duck outright stealing hearts and running away with them. To my right were Norway fans, gearing up for yet another Viking Row, which somehow never got old. To my left? Legions of Brazil faithful, singing their way through the whole match.Unlike, say, a 76ers game in Philly, where you have a nonzero chance of tripping into a verbal and/or physical confrontation near a Yuengling-soaked urinal, things just felt good. People were happy. The guy next to me turned around, unprompted, and said, “This is the closest we’ll ever get to world peace.”He’s not wrong.I attended the game as a guest of Marriott Bonvoy, which kindly invited me out to show what fans can score from the Marriott Bonvoy Moments platform, through which they can cash in their points for bucket-list sports experiences like this, while also staying at its properties. (Marriott Bonvoy offered tickets through Moments for every World Cup bout, and has similar offerings coming up for F1, the NFL season, and more.) But even after enjoying great seats, beer flowing, and, well, Vikings rowing, I left the match wondering why something felt different about this World Cup, especially for us Americans.Howard Smith/ISI Photos//Getty ImagesCan the Minnesota Vikings co-opt the Viking Row, so it never has to leave the United States?Obviously, hosting the World Cup had something to do with amping up stateside interest. But it seemed like the first time we—myself included—treated each and every round like the must-see event it deserved to be. In previous tournaments, we followed all the important names, from Mbappé to Kane to Neymar, then returned to NFL preseason chatter as soon as we reached the inevitable USMNT exit. This time, we not only fawned over the freakish abilities of a striker like Norway’s Erling Haaland, but we wanted to know who he was off the field, too. Turns out, he’s a goof on Snapchat! He likes meat! Hell, Norwegian fans had entire airplane cabins learning the Viking Row.Can we nationalize Erling Haaland, not to put him on the USMNT, but to make him our next president?Plus, it’s absolutely worth noting: we deal with the Hunchback of Mar-a-Lago, who is doing quite literally everything in his outsized power to sow hate across the country every damn day. He was the purveyor of some of the tournament’s worst moments, from rubbing off some bronzer on the Balogun situation to spooking visitors well in advance of the event.But if even for a few weeks, didn’t we all feel actually united for once? And, you know, getting along? There was something beautiful about seeing fans from all over the world—certainly many of whom Trump would rather not be here—show up and just bring some happiness when we needed it most. (Japanese fans? I could watch you eat Texas barbecue every single day.) Plus, as someone who attended the World Cup final and watched Trump stagger and stumble around the trophy ceremony, I enjoyed booing him with a whole bunch of Argentina fans.Hector Vivas - FIFA//Getty ImagesEven though the World Cup Final turned chippy in the second half, it was all love between stars Lionel Messi and Lamine Yamal.Speaking of: it certainly says something that a tight, 1–0 final was one of the less exciting contests of the entire competition. It almost feels beside the point, but you couldn’t have asked for a more thrilling tournament of 104 matches. Cape Verde nearly pulled off the greatest upset in soccer (and maybe even sports) history. The England–Mexico tilt in Estadio Azteca was more thrilling than most Super Bowls, and Argentina’s countless late-game comebacks only added to Messi’s legend. Given the too-bizarre-to-be-true Messi–Yamal bathtub photo, it felt right that Spain and Argentina met at the very end. Even if no one wants to see Messi holding back tears, an unbelievably clinical Spain—its victory clinched by Ferran Torres’s electric tiebreaker in overtime—deserved to hoist the trophy.Now, it feels like we’re all going our separate ways, and all we can do is look ahead to the 2030 World Cup, co-hosted by Morocco, Portugal, and Spain. But I have a few requests in the meantime. Can the Minnesota Vikings co-opt the Viking Row, so it never has to leave the United States? Can we nationalize Erling Haaland, not to put him on the USMNT, but to make him our next president? I know Lionel Messi isn’t going anywhere—he’ll return to Inter Miami this fall—but do Lamine Yamal and his absurdly cute little brother want to stay here for a while, too? Why can’t the Scots make a yearly pilgrimage to Boston, drink the city dry again, and why can’t we make it a national holiday?One more. Do we have to wait another four years to come together again?As Esquire's senior entertainment editor, Langmann edits coverage of film, television, sports, and video games. During his seven years at Esquire, he's interviewed celebrities and athletes such as Matthew McConaughey, Terry Bradshaw, Steph Curry, Carrie-Anne Moss, Josh Brolin, and more. Langmann has also contributed several essays to the magazine, which range from the time he learned how to ride a bike as an adult, to the time he ingested a dangerous amount of caffeine in the name of journalism. All of that said, Esquire readers might know him best from his chaotic time recapping Westworld. He'll never forgive HBO for taking it away from him.