EM 2024 and America should learn from Germany

World Cup 2026

In his weekly column, fan researcher Harald Lange writes exclusively on Watson about the issues currently affecting football in Germany.

A lot is happening in world football. Becoming the host of a major international tournament means big money is on the table. According to various estimates, UEFA managed to make more than 1.1 billion euros in profit from the European Championship in Germany.

But the Copa America, the South American soccer confederation's counterpart, was also expected to raise a lot of dollars, as the tournament was awarded to the United States primarily because of its larger stadium capacity and expected ticket revenue.

In the past few weeks, we have been able to observe the famous trial run for the World Cup in Mexico, Canada and the USA. Eight of the eleven World Cup venues in the U.S. were recently the venues for the Copa America, and the organizers have a very poor report on their balance sheet.

They were obviously overwhelmed by the organization of this soccer tournament in America. That's why coaches, players, and especially fans are asking: Is the U.S. capable of hosting the World Cup in two years?

Many Copa America 2024 games are not sold out

As is often the case, commercialism once again dominated the Copa America. Ticket prices were regulated through a flexible model of demand pricing. This particularly affected Argentine fans, as Albiceleste games were in high demand and prices rose accordingly.

In contrast, other tournaments turned out to be slow sellers, as many games did not sell. Even for the quarter-final between Canada and Venezuela, organizers had just 30,000 tickets available. Football passion and fan loyalty are different.

Fan researcher and Watson columnist Harald Lange.Image: University of Würzburg

Euro 2024 brought fans from all over Europe, selling out stadiums and filling fan miles. Some fans came without tickets to enjoy the festive atmosphere of this European Championship. American football is miles away from this mood, joy and excitement.

Instead, criticism arose from all sides. The criticisms from several practitioners were particularly clear. Uruguay's national coach Marcelo Bielsa criticized the training conditions in particular, but also the abysmal state of the football stadiums and training facilities and accused the organizers of lying.

Half time of Copa America final extended due to Shakira

A grueling test run to the World Cup in two years has made it clear in many ways that American soccer is more about the show than the game.

In all seriousness, the half-time interval in the final between Argentina and a surprise team from Colombia was extended by ten minutes to extend Shakira's stage performance to 25 minutes. The coaches complained, fearing that this long break would lead to a new warm-up.

Shakira performed at the halftime show of the Copa America final. Image: imago images/ USA TODAY Network

The concentration of players and fans was put to the test in this final. Due to chaotic scenes upon entering the stadium, the match started only at 9:30pm local time, about 90 minutes late.

Unbelievable scenes were happening outside. In 39-degree heat, crowds poured into Miami's Hard Rock Stadium, sometimes uncontrollably, and stewardesses were completely overwhelmed. It was a miracle nothing worse happened.

Will USA and FIFA make a decision before the 2026 World Cup?

What's next for the 2026 World Cup? Do organizers learn from mistakes? Does FIFA make decisions? Will there finally be a serious debate about the future of international football?

Wherever these discussions take place, I believe sports and football cultural standards should set the tone. Any other cause organizational confusion or frustration among fans, players and coaches.