ALMOST all World Cups face controversy and negative publicity in the build-up.
That was certainly the case ahead of the previous editions in Qatar, Russia, Brazil, and South Africa.
But then, almost all World Cups also see a positive shift in mood and sentiment once the football actually begins.
That’s certainly true in this North American edition, too.
Many of us who travelled to the current World Cup did so with a little trepidation as well as anticipation (28 long years of anticipation in my Scotland-supporting case).
Would our visas work OK? What would the atmosphere be like? Would the locals care that a World Cup was happening on their doorstep?
I flew into Boston and initially it seemed a little muted.
The city wasn’t decked in posters and signs and branded material everywhere, unlike in Doha four years earlier.
But soon the bagpipes were blaring, the US team were off to a winning start, and the party was well underway.
Boston is a true sports town. Scotland supporters went en masse to a Boston Red Sox baseball game, and it was a wonderfully loud, vibrant mixing of sporting cultures.
The people of Boston embraced the footie fans with warmth and humour, joined the party, and made it their own.
Newspaper editorials that worriedly wondered if Boston was ready ahead of the first match at Boston stadium soon shifted to celebrating the Tartan takeover of the city.
Police officers participated alongside fans in football juggling contests and smiling volunteers offered friendly directions and advice.
I was at the first game there: Haiti vs Scotland. The Scots won 1-0, nervously rather than convincingly.
The fact that Boston stadium is situated some 50km outside of the city made logistics a rather expensive challenge, but authorities impressively learned lessons from some of the queueing issues that cast a cloud over the first attempt.
With Scotland off to a shakily successful start, I took the train to New York.
The Big Apple was hosting a big party of its own, to mark the New York Knicks’ triumph in the NBA playoffs for the first time in over 50 years.
But football fans had also gathered to cheer their heroes, congregating in and around Times Square. I crossed the river to New Jersey with the French and Senegalese supporters for one of the most eagerly awaited group matches.
After a slow start, the game lived up to its hype, sparked into life by the brilliance of Kylian Mbappe.
The stadiums are worth a mention.
While they may not all be conveniently located, they are magnificent arenas; huge, modern, and technologically advanced.
FIFA have also dressed them beautifully for this greatest of stages. “Fan experience” is a thing that North America takes seriously.
Not only are the stadiums great to be in, they look spectacular on TV too.
After a few days in New York, I travelled back up the coast to Boston where the Tartan festivities remained in full swing in the lead- up to the Scotland-Morocco game.
The Scots’ 1-0 loss in that game didn’t much dampen the mood.
The level of excitement, interest, and confidence across the host nations is already high and growing, and that’s before we even reach the knockout stage.
There is something special about a World Cup, something magical, a footballing current that crackles in the humid summer air.
But one of the best things is, whether you’re watching in a stadium in Seattle or a mamak in Malaysia, we’re all part of it.
