World Cup Visitors Report Hospitality in United States Cities

International visitors traveled to the United States for the World Cup from Asia, Europe, Africa and Latin America, The Independent reported. Many described encounters with Americans that emphasized hospitality over political division. Sebastian Reader, 28, from London, made a three-month trip to follow the England team.

He visited Chicago, Boston, Arkansas and Dallas. In Dallas a person he met at a Mexican restaurant showed him a truck and revved the engine. Another local met at a bar invited Reader and a friend to a front porch, where they talked until 2 a.m.

Harry Gunns, 30, also from London, visited Texas and California. Americans responded to his social media posts with recommendations for places to visit and eat, and some invited him for homecooked meals. "It almost feels like you’re home straight away, is the best way I can describe it," Gunns said.

Zineb Benlamlih, 28, from Morocco, visited New York and salsa danced with a group of 50-year-olds in Central Park. Friends from Chad and Somalia were unable to enter the United States due to travel restrictions. " Rafal Kolankowski, originally from Poland and now a varsity boys' soccer coach at Plum High School outside Pittsburgh, noted positive opinions of the United States.

Reader avoided conversations about politics during his trip. "There’s an impression of what’s going on here that is, I guess, quite divided," he said.