Bilal Lafta Sees Mexico Gain Soft Power — Has Mexico Ever Won A World Cup
Mexico may come out of has mexico ever won a world cup with more than soccer headlines. Its low tourist prices, public festivals and deep soccer culture could draw fans in ways that turn the host nation into one of the tournament’s biggest winners.
Bilal Lafta, a 27-year-old Iraqi American software developer based in New York, saw that pull firsthand in Monterrey in March. He traveled with his father and brother to watch Iraq play Bolivia, and Mexican fans embraced the Iraqi side, learned Arabic chants and asked about life in Iraq.
Bilal Lafta in Monterrey
Lafta said, “The Mexican fans said that we had similar cultures.” Iraq won the game and secured a World Cup spot for the first time in 40 years, while a Mexican policewoman let Iraqis climb on top of her car to dance and wave their national flag outside the stadium.
That scene gives Mexico an opening the United States may not match. U.S. President Donald Trump’s travel bans and aggressive immigration raids have cast doubt over whether the United States will feel welcoming to international soccer fans, even as the United States, Canada and Mexico share hosting duties for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Mexico and Tourist Prices
Mexico’s case is not built on one crowd moment alone. The broader pitch rests on a strong tradition of soccer and public festivals, paired with relatively low prices for tourists, which could make the country easier to experience for visiting fans once the tournament begins.
That idea did not start this cycle. In 2009, Arturo Sarukhán suggested that the United States and Mexico co-host the World Cup to show they could be partners in success, and the thinking behind that proposal now looks more relevant with the 2026 FIFA World Cup drawing closer.
June 11 in Mexico City
The tournament is set to kick off in Mexico City on June 11, and Mexico’s welcome will be part of the competition before a ball is even kicked. Fans deciding where to go will not just be choosing matches; they will be choosing atmosphere, access and cost.
For Mexico, that means the World Cup is about more than results on the field. The country has a chance to turn its soccer culture into soft power and tourist pull, while the image of Monterrey’s Iraqi visitors offers a preview of how that can work in real time.
