I generally don’t watch sports and can honestly say that I have never watched a World Cup. I have, however, been following this year’s World Cup happenings with great interest — and no, I’m not talking about the soccer. I have lived in Europe for many years, along with my Polish-born wife and our daughter. Europe is a beautiful place, full of cultural riches, awe-inspiring architecture, scenic landscapes, and a wealth of history. Oxford, England, and Kraków, Poland, are easily two of the most beautiful places I’ve ever visited but represent only a small sampling of the wonders Europe has to offer.

Europe, however, is also full of people who have never been to the U.S. and are more than comfortable denigrating Americans as entitled, arrogant, idiotic hicks. European mainstream media outlets frequently cast the U.S. as some borderline-fascist state run by an unhinged tyrant and populated by violent, gun-toting maniacs. When Joe Biden was in the White House, European media still portrayed the U.S. as some kind of Nazi-adjacent regime, with Biden and his degenerate cronies as the progressive “good guy” underdogs fighting a morally, ideologically corrupt system. Not all Europeans fall for the bait, of course, but even many of Europe’s more conservative peoples (many of the Polish, for example) see videos of Pride parades in Los Angeles or New York City and presume that the entire U.S. must be some kind of left-wing LGBT Mecca.

Most of the music I listen to — and play out loud around the house, in the car, while playing family board games, while cooking, etc. — is country music, which my wife is beginning to find tiresome after nearly three years of marriage. One song, in particular, really irks her. The chorus goes, “The European mind is ignorant and blind to the beauty of the USA at the Circle K.” For those who don’t know, Circle K is a gas station and convenience store chain founded in El Paso, Texas. Ironically, I have never seen a Circle K in the U.S., although there are over 7,300. In fact, the first time I saw a Circle K was in Ireland. But the song’s point at least partly stands: Many Europeans are ignorant and blind to the beauty of the USA.

As an American with friends and family in and from Europe, it pains me to see so many Europeans misunderstand my homeland, malign my homeland, and fail to see the European roots from which America sprang. This year’s World Cup, hosted by America, has therefore been a joy to witness. Again, I am not talking about the soccer. I don’t think I’ve actually watched a game of soccer since my little sister played on the local co-op team a decade or so ago. No, I’m talking about watching Europeans discover America — and fall absolutely in love with my homeland. Here are a few examples:

Freddy is a German who landed in New York City last week wearing a German soccer jersey on his way to Atlanta for one of the World Cup games. Over the past week, he has gained hundreds and thousands of new followers on X while documenting his journey across the U.S. While Freddy started off describing the Atlanta metro as “scary,” comparing it to a Grand Theft Auto video game lobby with “one person next to us taking off his shirt and declaring war on Donald Trump while another person is moonwalking across the platform,” he quickly discovered the beauty of rural Georgia once he made it out of the city. Stone Mountain, Walmart, Gainesville, Waffle House, the Chattahoochee River, Wendy’s, Brasstown Bald, Freddy fell in love with it all. Next stop was Tennessee, where Freddy enjoyed some food at Chili’s, shared some beautiful lakeside footage, and climbed Lookout Mountain near Chattanooga. In Alabama, Freddy marveled at the generosity of American hospitality.

“I love Americans,” he shared. “We were about to walk an hour to the stadium in the rain to save on an Uber, and the receptionist at the hotel we were parked in front of decided to drive us there.” When a bald eagle soared into the soccer stadium in Auburn, Freddy commented, “This is the most ‘The European mind can’t comprehend this’ moment of my life.” Then, of course, Freddy found Buc-ee’s, the quintessentially American gas station-and-country store chain with a baseball cap-wearing beaver as its mascot, and the enormous Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World shopping centers, complete with live freshwater aquariums. Upon arriving in Fairhope, Alabama, Freddy wrote, “I’m in a place right now that’s so beautiful I’m probably about to make 50 posts about it.”

Then there’s Leah, a British girl who flew into Los Angeles. “Before I go and watch England win the 2026 World Cup I’m off to enjoy some beautiful American culture,” she said in a post on Wednesday. Leah marveled at how low many of the prices are in the U.S. while shopping before having a burger at In-N-Out. “The most expensive state in the USA still has cheaper fuel than the U.K.,” she commented, regarding gas prices in California. “The USA is so much fun, there is no where on earth as fun as this place,” Leah posted from a restaurant pub in L.A. Leah also marveled at the kindness of Americans, even in California. “Bit embarrassing, but I sneezed in public earlier and 3 Americans said ‘God bless you’ straight after. Not even just a simple bless you. … Genuinely the most American statement I’ve ever heard I genuinely love you guys.” She continued, “The more time I spend in America the more I realise it’s not just fast food, hotdogs, large trucks and the Simpsons. There is so much real culture here and friendly, down-to-earth people. I know a lot of people have picked up on this now but it’s genuinely shocked me.”

Shaun is a Scotsman who is also visiting America for the World Cup. “As a Scot in America for the World Cup, I can safely say that the beauty of the South is astounding,” he posted upon arriving in the USA. Shaun enjoyed barbecue ribs, visited the Alamo, and was awarded honorary Texan citizenship in San Antonio, where the city’s Scottish Society greeted him with bagpipes. “At this point, I should just stay here if y’all will have me?” he asked, already evincing a higher degree of cultural assimilation than most immigrants from third world countries. “Good morning America! The smell of freedom and brisket permeates my dreams. I’ve moved north to NYC briefly, and then Boston, as I follow Scotland to World Cup glory,” Shaun posted on Friday. “I have MUCH MORE to experience across America, and I’ll be back in the South for sure. For now, I’m following my country in your country.”

Another Brit, 19-year-old Skylar, lamented as she was leaving the U.K. for the U.S. that her home country has become “unsafe.” After having been in the U.S. for less than 48 hours, she reported, “Haven’t seen any crime… Haven’t had any bad food… Haven’t had any rain… Haven’t encountered any rude people… Sorry, but America just does it better.” Like many other Europeans visiting the U.S. for the World Cup, Skylar was amazed at American hospitality. “I came to America expecting a great World Cup. What I didn’t expect was how welcoming everyone would be. Every local I’ve met has been desperate to recommend places to visit, food to try and things to see. Americans, thank you,” she said. “Everyone told me Americans were unfriendly, but they hold doors open, stop when you’re crossing the road, say hello in the street etc… Why do people assume Americans aren’t like this?”

Swedish traveler Elsa started her World Cup trip in Indiana, enjoying small-town diners and discovering that the Amish are real. “Indiana is exactly how I dreamed America would be. Small towns, wide open spaces, cornfields, barns, cute houses, diners, water towers, friendly people, great food, American flags everywhere, and so much more!” she posted on her way to California. Elsa was also astounded by the fact that Americans have high-speed wi-fi on domestic flights. “What are we doing wrong in Europe? The USA has completely radicalised me within 48 hours,” she commented. Frequent social media users will be aware that some Europeans have recently been mocking Americans for not having passports, clearly not comprehending the scale and beauty of the U.S. Elsa gets it. “I kinda understand why a lot of Americans never leave the country, like why would you? It has everything,” she said.

There are countless more examples, but it all goes to show that the European mind (before leaving Europe) cannot comprehend the scale, beauty, and warmth of the USA. But once the European mind does comprehend, the European heart falls in love. As wonderful as it is to see Europeans, whose continent has been such a treasure to me, discover and become enchanted by the beauty of my own homeland, this outpouring of love for America should also stand as a reminder for Americans that our nation is beautiful. As the 250th Independence Day draws nearer and nearer, now just a few weeks away, many Americans are focused on political divisions, intra-party disputes, and news headlines, taking for granted the richness and the joys of our homeland. Our European brethren have a lesson for us: America is a place of beauty, wonder, warmth, innovation, and American excellence.

For anyone watching the World Cup (I’m not), planning an extravagant Fourth of July (I am), or just trying to make it through the day, take some time to look around your homeland and understand why European visitors are falling in love, why your ancestors fought and died for this land, and why it’s worth falling in love with yourself. Visit a nearby national park, take a long drive through a small town, plan a summer road trip with friends or family, immerse yourself in America’s natural beauty, her people, her culture, her history. If the European mind can comprehend America — and fall in love with her — then so can you.