James Poniewozik Says 2026 World Cup Turned Him Into a Sports Fan

1 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jul 17

James Poniewozik uses a first-person essay to describe how the 2026 World Cup pulled a self-described non-sports guy into full fandom before Sunday’s finale.
2026’s tournament, he writes, became “the show of the summer,” with broadcasts drawing American-football-level ratings and setting records even for matches without the U.S. team.
New York’s broader sports mood helped set the stage, from the Knicks’ N.B.A. Finals run to a summer atmosphere he says felt like a tense world taking a collective play break.
That shift shows up in small habits: learning what a group stage is, reading up on teams like Cape Verde, and checking matches on his phone during car rides.