For Hamm, power of Cup draws everyone

With 2026 event on horizon, U.S. national team icon reminds that soccer is a unifier.

- BY JAD EL REDA

CHRISTIAN PULISIC and teammates will play on U.S. soil in a World Cup that is expected to have an impact well beyond next summer.

(ROBIN ALAM ISI Photos)

U.S. soccer legend Mia Hamm called for people to remember the social value of soccer at a time when, she said, “many prefer to focus on what separates us,” during an event in Los Angeles celebrating Friday’s World Cup draw.

For Hamm, taking children to a World Cup match is a unique opportunity to teach them how sports can break down barriers.

“The whole experience is what makes it worthwhile,” said Hamm, a two-time World Cup winner with the U.S. women's national team. She urged families to not only go to the stadium, but also attend activities such as FIFA's fan festivals.

She recalled a moment during the 2006 World Cup in Germany, which she attended alone. She ended up playing an informal soccer game in a German park with people from Russia, Spain and Italy.

“What brought us together was our love for the game,” he said.

In a world she sees as fragmented, Hamm emphasized that soccer allows us to understand that “we are more alike than we are different” and that its strength lies in “celebrating how we connect with each other.”