{"id":125031,"date":"2026-07-07T13:32:21","date_gmt":"2026-07-07T17:32:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/?p=125031"},"modified":"2026-07-07T13:32:21","modified_gmt":"2026-07-07T17:32:21","slug":"world-cup-fans-mlb-ballparks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2026\/07\/07\/world-cup-fans-mlb-ballparks\/","title":{"rendered":"World Cup Fans Are Turning MLB Ballparks Into Football Stadiums"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\"><span>Baseball has plenty of strange pockets of absurdity over the course of a 162-game season, but the 2026 World Cup has added a new one: international soccer supporters wandering into MLB parks and immediately deciding that America\u2019s pastime could use more songs, more flags, and, frankly, more coordinated yelling.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>World Cup Fans Are Bringing Football Energy to MLB<\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_125333\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-125333\" style=\"width: 7321px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/07\/USATSI_29227190.webp\" alt=\"England's Dan Burn, Djed Spence, Harry Kane, manager Thomas Tuchel, Kansas City Royals mascot Sluggerrr and Kansas City Royals manager Matt Quatraro pose for a picture at the St. Louis Cardinals vs Kansas City Royals MLB game in Kansas City. \" width=\"7321\" height=\"4971\" class=\"size-full wp-image-125333\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/07\/USATSI_29227190.webp 7321w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/07\/USATSI_29227190-768x521.webp 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 7321px) 100vw, 7321px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-125333\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">June 18, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.; England&#8217;s Dan Burn, Djed Spence, Harry Kane, manager Thomas Tuchel, Kansas City Royals mascot Sluggerrr and Kansas City Royals manager Matt Quatraro pose for a picture at the St. Louis Cardinals vs Kansas City Royals MLB game in Kansas City. Mandatory Credit: Peter Aiken-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\"><span>It has become one of the better accidental subplots of the summer. With World Cup matches spread across North America, MLB ballparks have become convenient side quests for traveling fans. Some are learning the sport. Some are pretending to learn the sport. Most appear to be having the time of their lives either way.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\"><span>Norway fans turned Citi Field into a temporary Viking longship during a Mets-Cubs doubleheader, filling the outfield with red flags, chants, and the now-famous \u201cViking Row.\u201d The baseball comprehension was not always airtight, but the enthusiasm was impossible to miss, which is probably a better trade-off than half the league gets from a sleepy Wednesday matinee.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">The Norwegian fans at Citi Field are making their presence known \ud83d\udde3\ufe0f \ud83c\uddf3\ud83c\uddf4 <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/4Jlo6er3Zk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/4Jlo6er3Zk<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) <a  href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/SNY_Mets\/status\/2069835427612111221?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">June 24, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\"><span>Scotland\u2019s Tartan Army has been busy, too, showing up at Fenway Park, Yankee Stadium, and loanDepot Park with the kind of noise usually reserved for cup ties, not June baseball. The Marlins, in particular, should probably investigate whether importing several thousand Scottish fans is a viable long-term attendance strategy. There are worse business plans.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Scotland fans have made their way to Yankee Stadium \ud83c\udff4\udb40\udc67\udb40\udc62\udb40\udc73\udb40\udc63\udb40\udc74\udb40\udc7f <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/PtuNcGzBR0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/PtuNcGzBR0<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 MLB (@MLB) <a  href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/MLB\/status\/2067065249312678373?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">June 17, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\"><span>The Royals even got in on the cross-sport fun, hosting England manager Thomas Tuchel and captain Harry Kane at Kauffman Stadium earlier in the tournament. But the best England-MLB crossover may have come in Atlanta, where a group of England supporters found a new favorite Brave almost entirely by accident.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>That was the scene at Truist Park on July 1, when a group of England national football team supporters wandered over from Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, where England had just dispatched DR Congo in the team\u2019s Round of 32 match, and somehow turned a Braves-Cardinals game into a center-field pub session under the night sky of Atlanta.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">.<a  href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/wileyballard_?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@wileyballard_<\/a> \ud83e\udd1d<a  href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/hashtag\/ThreeLions?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#ThreeLions<\/a> Supporters <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/1tvvVJe7wV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/1tvvVJe7wV<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 BravesVision (@BravesVisionTV) <a  href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/BravesVisionTV\/status\/2072470917720998374?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">July 2, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The traveling supporters made their way to Truist Park and did what English fans do best: they found a target, built a songbook, and committed to the bit with impressive emotional investment. Their chosen hero was <a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/h\/harrimi04.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-07-02_br\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Michael Harris II<\/a>, who, as far as anyone can tell, has no meaningful connection to England beyond being stationed close enough in center field to become famous for one night. That was apparently enough.<\/p>\n<h2>England Supporters Give Michael Harris II the Full Football Treatment<\/h2>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"max-width: px\"><smartframe-embed class=\"smartframe_wp_element\" customer-id=\"b0c95bc04383cef69c6b47df872135cf\" image-id=\"WmOBla7Qu0sA\" style=\"width: 100%; display: inline-flex; max-width: 6000px; aspect-ratio: 6000\/4000;\" ><\/smartframe-embed><\/p>\n<p>The chants started rolling from the outfield seats, with Harris getting the full football treatment. There was \u201cHarris, give us a wave,\u201d then \u201cThere\u2019s only one Michael Harris,\u201d and my personal favorite: \u201cWalking in a Harris Wonderland.\u201d There was even the inevitable \u201cIt\u2019s coming home\u201d chant, because English supporters could be watching a man change a tire and still find a way to make it sound like a World Cup semifinal.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">England fans are taking over the Braves game \ud83d\ude02 <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/bVOrpjE7OQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/bVOrpjE7OQ<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Everything Georgia (@GAFollowers) <a  href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/GAFollowers\/status\/2072498038887641551?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">July 2, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2026\/06\/17\/braves-position-player-all-stars-2026\/\" target=\"_self\">Likely All-Star Harris<\/a>, to his credit, understood the assignment. He waved. He tossed baseballs into the crowd. He leaned into the absurdity of being adopted by a traveling fan base that may or may not have understood every single rule unfolding in front of them (to be fair, there are some rather arcane ones) That almost made it better. Baseball can get a little precious about its rhythms and traditions, but sometimes the sport is at its best when a group of outsiders walks in and reminds everyone that, yes, this is supposed to be fun.<\/p>\n<p>The Braves could use more of that feeling, too. After a <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2026\/06\/30\/braves-west-coast-trip-june-2026\/\" target=\"_self\">tough West Coast road trip<\/a> that underscored the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2026\/06\/09\/bryce-elder-braves\/\" target=\"_self\">recent struggles<\/a> of <a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/search\/search.fcgi?pid=elderbr01,elder-002bry&amp;search=Bryce+Elder&amp;utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-07-02_br\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Bryce Elder<\/a> and <a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/r\/rileyau01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-07-02_br\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Austin Riley<\/a>&#8216;s <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2026\/06\/22\/austin-riley-poor-season-braves-struggles\/\" target=\"_self\">woes<\/a>, Atlanta handled St. Louis 5-1, and Harris gave his new fan club something real to celebrate with an eighth-inning RBI single. It was not a franchise-altering moment, but it was memorable in the way baseball\u2019s best midseason weirdness often is: unscripted, oddly charming, and impossible to fabricate.<\/p>\n<p>By the end of the night, Harris had chants, England had a new favorite Brave, and Truist Park briefly sounded less like Cobb County and more like a lower-tier FA Cup upset waiting to happen.<\/p>\n<p>Honestly, the Braves should consider flying them in for the next homestand. At minimum, Harris has earned a few more overseas fans, as well as some new chants for Braves fans.<\/p>\n<p>Beyond that, now we know that England is Braves Country, too.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Hey <a  href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/MoneyyyMikeee?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@MoneyyyMikeee<\/a> &#8211; you now have chants! <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/GQxD0QwULQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/t.co\/GQxD0QwULQ<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Atlanta Braves (@Braves) <a  href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/Braves\/status\/2072515185995088075?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">July 2, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h2>Baseball Could Use More of This Beautiful Nonsense<\/h2>\n<p>And that might be the real lesson from this weird little World Cup-meets-MLB summer. Baseball does not need to become soccer, and MLB fans do not need to start singing for nine straight innings like they are trapped in a relegation battle. But a little more noise, a little more nonsense, and a few more visiting supporters treating a random regular-season game like a national event? The sport could take notes from footie fans the world over.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Main Image Credit:<\/strong> Peter Aiken-Imagn Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Baseball has plenty of strange pockets of absurdity over the course of a 162-game season, but the 2026 World Cup has added a new one: international soccer supporters wandering into MLB parks and immediately deciding that America\u2019s pastime could use more songs, more flags, and, frankly, more coordinated yelling. World Cup Fans Are Bringing Football [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5850,"featured_media":125334,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[21,2,12,1071],"tags":[48,51,6252,69,29649],"class_list":["post-125031","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-braves","category-featured","category-royals","category-mlb","tag-atlanta-braves","tag-kansas-city-royals","tag-michael-harris-ii","tag-mlb","tag-world-cup-fans"],"modified_by":"Matthew Nethercott, Site Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/125031","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5850"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=125031"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/125031\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":125335,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/125031\/revisions\/125335"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/125334"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=125031"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=125031"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=125031"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}