The old perception that soccer can’t make it in America will surely be put to bed after the World Cup.This year’s addition of the tournament is being hosted in the United States, Mexico and Canada across a total of 16 venues.The World Cup across the USA, Mexico and Canada has been a huge hit so farGetty11 of those venues are within the United States, mostly in re-designed NFL stadiums that have undergone changes to make them more soccer-friendly.Those stadiums, which are already blowing Europeans football fans’ minds, have already played host to some iconic moments in the early days of the tournament, including Kylian Mbappe‘s brace that made him France’s all-time record goalscorer and Lionel Messi’s sensational hat-trick against Algeria in his 200th appearance for Argentina.Two more of the World Cup’s big guns also got into on the act recently, with Erling Haaland netting two first-half goals for Norway and Harry Kane’s heroics for England in a 4-2 thriller against Croatia.Off the field, soccer fans have taken over cities, and even ballparks, with Scotland’s Tartan Army in full force at Fenway Park, home of the MLB‘s Boston Red Sox.All of this has gotten American fans on the edge of their seat, with many only now just realizing how incredible soccer is.It’s fair to say that a fair few of them are now fully-fledged soccer converts.“I’m kinda p***** I wasn’t into soccer earlier in life. I feel like I missed out on greatness,” one American fans said.“The World Cup has converted me to a full time fan,” a second added.“This might get me into soccer permanently, this is absolute cinema bro,” a third commented.“It’s almost impossible how good the World Cup has been so far,” a fourth said.USA are loving the World Cup so far despite pre-tournament fears there’d be a lack of interestAFPWorld Cup fever is taking over the United States with sports fans saying they are being converted to soccerGettyVirtuoso performances from the likes of Messi, Kane, Mbappe and Haaland have resonated with new fansGetty“I’ve been watching the World Cup and uhh… idk soccer is really cool,” a fifth added.USMNT success also igniting hype in the countryTo fans across the world, the perception of soccer in the United States is that it’s viewed as an afterthought behind the NFL, NBA, and MLB.However, under the leadership of USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino, that perception is quickly changing.The US kicked off their World Cup campaign in style last Friday night with a history-making 4-1 win over Paraguay.The three-goal margin of victory was the United States’ largest at a World Cup since the inaugural tournament in 1930.USMNT got their World Cup campaign off to the perfect start against ParaguayGettyComing to AmericaUSA has a golden opportunity to impress global football fans — don’t screw up the World CupHow the 1994 World Cup changed soccer in USA – from tourists in Italy to better than England and MLSRanking the World Cup venues – from New York to Los Angeles, a string of spectacular venues will play host to the 2026 World CupThe $9bn pitch built for Ronaldo’s last World Cup – ‘Forever’ grass, artificial sunlight and closed roofChris Richards Exclusive – the Crystal Palace defender opens up on his journey to the top, next stop a home World Cup for the kid from Birmingham, AlabamaFolarin Balogun scored twice in the first half to become the first American with two goals in a World Cup fixture.The US next face Australia in Seattle on Friday. A deep run at the tournament might be exactly the kind of thing needed to spark a soccer craze across the country.Despite hydration breaks, expensive tickets, and a pre-tournament fear that Americans simply wouldn’t be interested in the World Cup, fans have packed out venues so far.A 1-1 draw between Brazil and Morocco in New Jersey featured more than 80,000 fans in the stands, while Cape Verde’s 0-0 draw with Spain was played out in front of 67,640 fans in Atlanta.Last week, FIFA proclaimed that, ‘The 2026 FIFA World Cup has averaged over 63,000 fans across the 12 opening matches. The stadiums were 99.5 percent full.”If things continue, the 2026 World Cup won’t just be remembered as a historic tournament, but the exact moment soccer finally conquered the American sports landscape.World Cup WhatsAppDon't miss an update from talkSPORT in our dedicated World Cup WhatsApp channel.Search for ‘talkSPORT World Cup’ in your ‘Updates’ tab on WhatsApp and we’ll drop the proper, unfiltered football chat straight to your lock screen—no fluff, just pure talkSPORT energy.It’s where you’ll find out all the new rules to watch out for, England and Scotland reaction and big match player ratings. Plus there will be loads of debates on the biggest talking points as Haaland, Mbappe, Kane and the biggest names in football descend on America, Canada and Mexico.Stay up to date on all things World Cup across our talkSPORT platforms – subscribe to our YouTube channel for the latest news, opinion, exclusive interviews and our daily unfiltered, unscripted show ‘The S* Word, from 8am ET.All 104 games at the 2026 World Cup this summer will be live on talkSPORT, talkSPORT 2 and the talkSPORT app.