When Pelé arrived in New York in 1975, many thought soccer would never catch on in America. Then came Franz Beckenbauer and a cast of global superstars. Suddenly, the world's game was drawing crowds of 70,000 at Giants Stadium.
The Cosmos didn't just sell tickets; they changed perceptions. They made Americans believe soccer belonged in the United States.
Without that revolution, there's a strong argument that there would have been far less appetite to host the 1994 World Cup. The success of USA '94, and the legacy it created, helped pave the way for the 2026 World Cup on American soil.
The road to 2026 didn't start with a bid.
It started with the New York Cosmos.