After eight years of preparation, the 2026 World Cup has come to an end. More than 100 games were played. More than 6 million fans watched a match in person, with millions more attending fan festivals in cities across North America. The tournament drew billions of viewers on TV, and more than 17 billion impressions on social media.

Yet for the United States, the final whistle was just the beginning. America is barely two years into a so-called “decade of sport.” The Summer Olympics and Paralympics in 2028. The Rugby World Cup and Women’s World Cup in 2031. The Women’s Rugby World Cup in 2033. The Winter Olympics in 2034. Combine these with the Copa América in 2024 and the FIFA Club World Cup in 2025, and no other country has ever hosted such a large collection of major global events in rapid succession. No other country has even come close.

For die-hard fans, the benefits of tournaments and competitions taking place here are obvious. But with the country facing plenty of issues far more important than athletic competitions, some have argued that our focus on global sporting events is at best a giant waste of public resources, and at worst a way to ignore or whitewash America’s failings.

This year’s World Cup undermined the case for blanket pessimism. It also provided a way forward. The decade of sport couldn’t come at a more crucial time for America — as long as we get it right.

That starts with making the upcoming slate of........

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