Mia Hamm watched the U.S. men's national team beat Paraguay 4-1 in Los Angeles. She said the 2026 World Cup atmosphere has been amazing, and she will be back for Thursday's match against Turkey.
Mia Hamm in Los Angeles
“I was able to watch and go to the men's first game in Los Angeles,” Hamm said, adding that “It's been so much fun. To see the excitement around the game, the positivity has been incredible. People are just genuinely happy to be there -- they're all kitted out, they're wearing the colors.”
The match came on June 12, with the 2026 FIFA World Cup spread across the United States, Canada and Mexico. Eleven U.S. cities are hosting games over the next several weeks, so the opening week in Los Angeles is only one stop in a much wider tournament footprint.
Christian Pulisic and the round of 32
Hamm also pointed to Christian Pulisic, who sat out the first two matches because of a left calf injury before returning to full training on Monday. “He's a competitor -- there is no one who wants to be on that field more than he does,” she said.
She added, “I'm sure he would have said, 'I could play the last game,' but the U.S., by winning the first game, put themselves in a position to make that decision. They're looking at round of 32, and they want Christian Pulisic on the field for that and to make sure that there are no questions about his health.”
World Cup memory for Mia Hamm
The setting also pulled Hamm back to her own World Cup history. She won the Women's World Cup in 1991 and 1999, scored eight career World Cup goals, and made 276 appearances for the U.S. Women's National Team while scoring 158 goals. She was named FIFA Player of the Year twice.
Her strongest memory was personal and specific. “One of the best memories I had was going to the first game here in New York at the Meadowlands and driving up and passing cars that had their windows polished -- 'Go USA',” she said, calling one of her core World Cup memories “obviously winning” and the 1999 title “incredible.”
For Hamm, the first match in Los Angeles was more than a result on the board. It was a live look at how the tournament feels in a home market, and she will get another one on Thursday when she returns for Turkey.
