Win or lose, World Cup sparks lasting soccer growth across Tampa Bay

TAMPA, Fla. - For the past five weeks, the FIFA World Cup has done something remarkable: it has brought people together, turning total strangers into passionate fans and transforming local cities into one big community.

A City United by the pitch

What they're saying:

From packed, high-energy watch parties at Al Lang Stadium for the U.S. Men’s National Team in St. Petersburg to packed local pubs, a powerful sense of unity has had everyone cheering for something bigger than themselves.

"Honestly, I haven't seen the city this together for sports since, I want to say, the Bucs runs and the Lightning runs," said Tampa resident Samuel McAnallen.

That shared energy was felt no matter where residents chose to watch.

"Anywhere you go, people are going to be watching the event," noted resident Stephen Swanick. "Everyone's got their different jerseys on, so that's my favorite part. No matter where you go it's going to be good to watch."

Beyond the jerseys and the scores, the tournament provided a deeper emotional connection for the community.

Tampa resident Ruben Cornejo explained, "I think it's just the emotions that come out of the game. It breaks down a lot of hostilities and keeps their spirits up."

History on the screen, heart on the field

The tournament reached a dramatic peak back on July 6th when the U.S. team was knocked out by Belgium in the Round of 16. 

Despite the loss, the match set a monumental record as the most-watched soccer telecast in U.S. history, with 30 million eyes glued to the pitch.

For local fans, seeing the national team hold its own on the world stage was a major point of pride. 

"It was good to see them actually win games and be good," said resident Austin McGinnis. "There were some games where they looked really talented, so it was good see us actually have some success."

Even though the U.S. team was eliminated, the electric excitement surrounding the World Cup never left the Tampa Bay area. 

"Nothing's better than sitting in a crowd of people you might not know but rooting on the same team that you guys also have been rooting on since you've been a little kid," said Anthony Harwood, Director of Marketing for Three Oaks Hospitality at Armature Works.

Fueling the future of the sport

The passion on display over the last five weeks is fueling soccer's continued, long-term growth, with more people across Tampa Bay fully embracing the sport. 

A major driver of this momentum is the increasing prominence of soccer on American soil.

"It's really just people's attention being brought to it," McAnallen added. "We have more events based in the United States, more teams being brought over, more players with notoriety coming into the states. And that's bringing a lot of attention to the game that wasn't here before."

With international stars arriving and major tournaments on the horizon, the youth of Tampa Bay are also locking in, ensuring the sport's future remains bright. "I think a lot of young kids really like to play it and I think that helps a lot," said Austin McGinnis. "They get interested when they're young and then follow it when they get older. It's just a really interesting game to watch."

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