Has football fever taken hold in the US?
The World Cup is a few weeks in and we are getting closer to finding out who will lift the trophy.
As co-hosts USA prepare to face Bosnia-Herzegovina in the last 32, BBC Sport revisits some of the concerns around a World Cup partly held in the United States.
Would tickets prove too expensive? Would football fever not take hold? Is football simply too far down America's priorities?
We asked some of our reporters at the World Cup whether their perceptions had changed.
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What was your first impression of the USA's reaction to the World Cup?
John Bennett, BBC World Service
I landed in New York on the same day as game three of the NBA finals, so in my first week in the USA covering the tournament, it was New York Knicks fever, not World Cup fever.
There is so much going on in New York that at times in those early days it felt as though the World Cup was just another of the many tourists visiting the great city.
Ian Dennis, BBC Radio 5 Live senior football reporter
After spending a week and a half in Florida with England prior to the World Cup at two non-tournament venues my initial impressions were extremely low-key, because there was no feel for the World Cup at that stage.
I then flew into New York City where the success of the New York Knicks clinching their first title in 53 years seemed to overshadow the World Cup among the locals.
Liz Conway, BBC Sport journalist
I was cautiously optimistic about how much enthusiasm there would be for the World Cup.
In Mexico City, the atmosphere was unlike anything I had ever experienced, and many of us covering the opening match commented that it would have been incredible if the entire tournament had been held solely in Mexico.
That was partly because, before arriving in the US, we weren't sure how much excitement there would be around the World Cup, with security concerns and political matters often overshadowing the build-up.
Sam Harris, BBC Sport journalist
My first impression was that the World Cup hadn't quite landed. Early on in New York, it felt like the Knicks' title run was the story everyone cared about.
It reinforced my feeling that some host cities weren't fully connected to the tournament.
Alex Howell, BBC Sport's England reporter
I did not think with all of the other sporting events happening that it would break through. That feeling has totally changed now.
Gary Rose, BBC Sport journalist
On first arriving in Los Angeles there seemed to be little interest in the World Cup. There were a few small banners on lamp posts along freeways and a few billboards but it felt like functional promotion rather than excitement.
Much of the focus, even thousands of miles away from New York, was on the Knicks.
Has this changed as the tournament has progressed?
John Bennett: Slowly but surely you could tell that the World Cup was capturing the imagination in New York.
I went to an event for football fans in Harlem in week one of the tournament and it was packed with people who lived in the USA but were originally from one of the World Cup nations or had family history from one of the teams taking part.
It brought home how big a part diaspora fans were going to play in the tournament and how much excitement and atmosphere that was going to create in the stadiums and the streets.
I remember walking to an interview through Greenwich village and I saw a group of construction workers and businessmen who'd stopped on the pavement outside a bar because something had caught their eye on one of the TV screens inside. What was it? The final stages of Cape Verde's heroic 0-0 draw with Spain. World Cup fever was here.
Ian Dennis: It changed for me when I went to Atlanta. That's when it felt more like a World Cup with supporters from different countries mingling together with a vibrant fan fest at the heart of downtown Atlanta.
What also struck me inside the stadium in Atlanta is American fans following a country but they're not actual supporters. For instance, the majority of the crowd wore red when Spain played Saudi Arabia but they were not Spanish and as a result the atmosphere was lacking.
Liz Conway: My opinion has completely changed. World Cup fever has well and truly arrived in the United States. Everywhere I've travelled, I've been really impressed by the fan zones, the number of friendly volunteers and the overall enthusiasm surrounding the tournament.
Even some of the fans I've spoken to, who admitted they don't usually watch football, have been genuinely excited to get behind the World Cup and learn more about the game. It's been fantastic to see.
Sam Harris: A few weeks later, that view has completely changed. Some of my favourite moments have come away from the pitch, from tailgating with Brazilian fans in Philadelphia to Cape Verdeans turning Boston into one big street party.
The World Cup is only as good as its fans. You can host it anywhere, but without supporters bringing their songs, food, flags, and culture, it loses its heartbeat.
It also helps when the home team starts doing well. The US men's team have gone on a run, Americans have really got behind them, and they've even come up with a few chants that are ... actually pretty decent, at least those coming from fans in a small bar in Philadelphia.
Neil Johnston, BBC Sport journalist:
I have been to eight games in New Jersey, Philadelphia, Toronto, Boston and Miami. All the grounds I have visited have looked full, so fears that games could see empty seats have not materialised as far as I have witnessed.
Alex Howell: In Kansas City, the World Cup has been adopted by pretty much all of the people I have spoken to and the local businesses.
Gary Rose: Massively. Someone told me that Americans don't really do build up to sporting events but once they are underway they go all in. That has been the case.
Over the weeks I've seen shirts of all different countries wandering around the tourist spots of Los Angeles. Every single bar and even most shops have the games on television, even some beachside shops and cafes in Santa Monica had rolled TVs out on to the paths and passers-by were stopping to watch.
Has World Cup fever been different in different cities?
John Bennett: I've mostly been in Philadelphia, where at one stage there were four games in the space of nine days and there's no doubt that the city and the people fully embraced the tournament.
On the eve of every Philadelphia World Cup match day, fans of the nations playing 24 hours later gathered on the steps around the Rocky statue and created an incredible, heart-warming atmosphere.
The fan festival at Lemon Hill welcomed the largest single-day crowd of any host city supporters party in the U.S. with nearly 55,000 people watching on the big screen during USA's second group match. Philadelphia's an incredible sporting city and it's also been one of the most welcoming and atmospheric World Cup cities too.
Ian Dennis: They are still talking about Scotland fans in Boston. The Tartan Army definitely made an impression. The Norwegian fans with their 'Viking Row' was impressive to witness in the flesh v France in Boston.
Has it been really apparent a World Cup is on everywhere? There is an awareness and it's a talking point when people ask why are you here but I've been asked, "are you here to watch the FIFA?" Or "who is your team at the Cup?" without grasping it's the World Cup.
Sam Harris: The atmosphere has very much depended on the city though.
Philadelphia has fully embraced the tournament, while Boston has had a similar feel. Houston was different. It wasn't bad, but it was harder to stumble across that World Cup buzz away from the stadium because geographically it's so spread out and you need to drive everywhere.
Gary Rose: I've been in Los Angeles, Seattle and Vancouver covering games and all have really thrown themselves into it. LA uses its iconic spots to promote the World Cup - with fan zones on the iconic Santa Monica Pier, the historic LA Memorial Coliseum and Union Station - where departure and arrivals boards were switched to show the games.
In Seattle they went one further. After games they closed down lots of streets around the stadium and it just felt like a city-wide party in the hours after the game with people singing and dancing on the streets and playing football.
What has the World Cup atmosphere been like in general?
John Bennett: This is my fourth World Cup and I was concerned that ticket prices and visa issues for some travelling fans would diminish the atmosphere inside the stadiums.
However, the noise and excitement levels inside the grounds compares favourably to what I experienced in stadiums in Brazil, Russia and Qatar.
There were exceptions, but on many occasions I've witnessed not just travelling fans but also diaspora fans, who live in the USA, help to lift the noise levels and create that traditional World Cup flavour in the stands.
Ian Dennis: Aside from England and Scotland ... Brazil turned the MetLife yellow on my opening match, I've witnessed the passion of Colombians in the bars/streets and heard how passionate Ecuador were when they came from behind to beat Germany as I listened to 5 Live.
Overall, there is an excitement ahead of kick-off but a number of matches I've covered lack a sustained period of genuine football noise with very little chanting. Argentina in the knockout stages should change that!
Liz Conway: The atmosphere has been fantastic. I think Americans have really embraced having so many international football fans descend on their cities. Every few days, a new wave of supporters arrives, bringing their own colours, songs and traditions, and it's created a real festival feel.
You can feel the buzz not just inside the stadiums, but throughout the host cities as well. The enthusiasm has been infectious, and the atmosphere has been phenomenal.
Alex Howell: The atmosphere in Kansas City has been a friendly one. If you go to watch a game here people are interested in which team is playing and learning about the players they don't know about. It has been helped by the USA's performance so seeing if the atmosphere changes if they go out will be interesting.
Gary Rose: I covered Euro 2024 and I'd say it has been as good as - if not better at times - than I experienced in Germany. LA has a large Mexican population and after each Mexico game there's been celebrating Mexico fans on the streets and fireworks being set off.
Neil Johnston: Brilliant inside the grounds. I've seen rival fans sitting next to one another one minute and then leaping from their seats to dance together the next. Most of the press boxes at this tournament are enclosed. However, I have not seen any trouble or tension. In fact, it's been the opposite. Yes, it's expensive but this World Cup is all about noise, colour, fun and sun.
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