USA: The Emerging Soccer Power in the World?

Source: Statista

President of the global soccer organization FIFA, Gianni Infantino, told U.S. President Donald Trump that the “U.S. is on the verge of becoming the soccer power in the world,” according to Forbes.

The comment was made at the World Economic Forum in Davos during the Global Chief Executive Officers dinner.

The U.S. has historically failed to progress in the World Cup in any meaningful way since the tournament’s founding in 1930. As one of the most populous countries possessing some of the best athletes in the world, many have pointed to the U.S.’s lack of interest in the sport compared to powerhouse soccer countries like Germany and Brazil as the reason why the country notoriously trots out an unremarkable international team.

Still, the world rankings conducted by FIFA and Coca-Cola have the U.S. in the top 25 internationally as of December 2019. Could 2022 be the year the U.S. makes a deep run in the World Cup?

FIFA Ranking Infographic

Footballers Urge Fans to ‘Stand Together’ Against Racism in Holocaust Memorial Day Video

Harry Kane, Jürgen Klopp and Gary Lineker are among two dozen leading football personalities featured in a video shown at FA Cup fourth-round matches urging people to stand up against hatred and discrimination.

The two-minute video, marking Holocaust Memorial Day on 27 January, features images from the Holocaust cut with images of antisemitic graffiti, Islamophobia and a lesbian couple attacked on a London bus in 2019.

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