World Cup reveals differences in sporting culture that simply wouldn’t fly in American pro sports

The beauty of the 2026 World Cup has opened our American eyes to the unique and passionate sporting cultures around the world.

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We have seen the Tartan Army drink Boston into oblivion. Officers and detainees celebrate together at a Paraguayan police station.Argentinians reunite a fan with his lost wallet after chanting his name in the concourse in Dallas.

But the tournament has also revealed differences in culture that simply wouldn’t fly in American pro sports.

For instance, take Monday’s exhilarating match in Foxborough, a remarkable upset win by Paraguay over Germany. Paraguay won in penalty kicks, 4-3, after German defender Jonathan Tah launched his attempt over the net in the sixth round.

Tah took the attempt, per the Fox Soccer official X account, “after (captain) Joshua Kimmich looked for a teammate to take the sixth penalty for Germany.”

That’s an extremely diplomatic way of saying that several German players outright refused to take the PK. According to German newspaper Bild, “Leon Goretzka, Waldemar Anton, Nathaniel Brown, and Malick Thiaw hesitated and dodged the challenge due to immense pressure.” Indeed, the Fox broadcast showed Kimmich speaking with several players on the sideline before the attempt.

Somehow, German manager Julian Nagelsmann did not establish his “batting order” before the match. Somehow, players were allowed to say “no.” Tah, the man who finally raised his hand, had never attempted a PK in his pro career.

It’s a series of events that is unfathomable in American pro sports. And if it did somehow happen, the criticism and shame from fans and media would be intense. The coach and players would have a difficult time recovering from that, reputationally.

Another eye-opening incident occurred Monday night (and early Tuesday morning) in Mexico City, the night before Mexico defeated Ecuador, 2-0.

Diehard Mexican fans camped outside Ecuador’s hotel in the middle of the night, shooting fireworks, banging drums, honking horns, and creating a ruckus that puts Lunar New Year celebrations to shame.

“(T)he Ecuadorian Football Federation (FEF) announces that it has lodged a formal complaint with the organizers,” the team’s official account posted on X. “Such conduct stands in stark contrast to the principles of fair play, equity, and unity that a World Cup should embody.”

Here in America, we’ve been known to occasionally pull a prank on a visiting team the night before a big game. One famous incident occurred nine years ago here in Boston, when a 25-year-old Patriots fan pulled the fire alarm at the Steelers’ hotel the night before the 2017 AFC Championship game.

But that was one fan making a bad decision. He was promptly arrested and told authorities, “I’m drunk. I’m stupid. I’m a Pats fan.” Patriots fans reacted with shame, a sense that “we’re better than this” and didn’t need silly hijinks to beat the Steelers at home.

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But in the World Cup, Mexican fans starting World War III outside Ecuador’s hotel is just chalked up to “home-field advantage.”

In another “what did we just witness?” moment, Senegal lost to Belgium on Wednesday, 3-2, after Belgium converted a penalty kick in the 125th minute, the latest goal in World Cup history. Belgium only got the PK after referee Said Martinez determined a foul had taken place after several minutes of a VAR review.

I want to say this is akin to an NFL referee taking five minutes to review a play on instant replay, deciding to call pass interference, and awarding a team the ball on the 1-yard line in a tied playoff game with only seconds remaining.

But even that comparison isn’t apt, since scoring is more widespread in the NFL. A goal in soccer is incredibly rare and precious, and Martinez practically handed Belgium one on a platter, at the most critical juncture in the match, after taking several minutes with instant replay. It certainly didn’t reach the “clear and obvious” threshold that has come to guide instant replay in the NFL and other leagues.

The outrage would be overwhelming if this happened in American sports, especially given the billions of gambling dollars at stake. Stephen A. Smith wouldn’t stop screaming about it for a month.

One last difference in our sporting cultures is a serious one — the participation of players facing significant criminal charges.

In the NFL, players who face accusations and investigations are still allowed to play, but once charges are formally filed, the player is placed on leave via the “commissioner’s exempt list” until the case is adjudicated or the player serves a significant suspension. Here in New England, Jabrill Peppers was placed on the commissioner’s exempt list for seven games in 2024 after being charged with assault, of which he was ultimately found not guilty.

But in the World Cup, it’s business as usual for Morocco defender and captain Achraf Hakimi, who faces rape charges in France from a 2023 incident.

Hakimi, one of the best defenders in the world who plays for Paris Saint-Germain, lost an appeal before Morocco’s June 19 game against Scotland in Foxborough, confirming that he will stand trial at an undetermined date. Hakimi challenged the charges, but his appeal was rejected by the Court of Appeal of Versailles. Hakimi defended himself on X.

“Justice looked me in the eye and told me: ‘If you were not famous, there would never have been a case,’ ” Hakimi wrote.

Hakimi heard whistles and jeers in Foxborough when he touched the ball, but his team is still supporting him as it advances through the World Cup.

“We are behind him,” Morocco coach Mohamed Ouahbi said. “He’s the best right back in the world. He’s very important for me, for the team, the staff, and for 44 million Moroccans. That’s it.”

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Somehow, I don’t think that explanation would work here.