This article originally appeared in The Detroit News June 23, 2026.

Americans spend a lot of time arguing about what’s wrong with the country. Sometimes international visitors help remind us what’s wonderful about it, and what we take for granted.

The 2026 World Cup is here. The United States is one of the host countries, and preliminary matches are scattered in cities across the country. I am not much of a soccer fan, but it’s hard to escape the ubiquitous event.

Among the surprising delights of this World Cup are the videos of Europeans visiting America for the first time. These travelers share their reactions online while encountering American food, culture and sights. Some YouTubers are compiling the funniest reactions. Some of these compilations predate the World Cup but are now enjoying millions of views.

In one video, an Italian man discovered free refills. He pointed to his Coke. “I can refill this 1,000 times,” he told his friend.

A man from France raved about Costco. “Costco is bigger than my village where I live,” he said. “You just show up and you could buy your whole life there. We need to start a revolution just to get Costco in France.”

Another man walked through the food section of a Texas Walmart: “Wow. Is that a gallon?” He reached into the cooler and pulled one out. “We have always seen it in movies and finally we saw it in real life. The legendary gallon of milk.”

A family stopped at Chick-Fil-A. The mother reviewed her chicken sandwich. “This burger looks absolutely insane,” she said.

A young man filmed while driving. “I’ve been driving for five minutes now, and I can’t wipe this smile off my face. I’m driving a Ram truck in America!”

A Swiss man gave a walking tour of another Walmart. He pointed to the ceiling: “And of course, everywhere, American flags. I wish we had the same in Switzerland, where you could see all the Swiss flags. Nope.”

He pointed again. “That’s a good thing. United States flags. I like this.”

In another video, a man is “genuinely overwhelmed” by a Buc-ees travel center. He wandered around the gas station picking up banana pudding in a cup, spicy pickled eggs and a giant stuffed Buc-ees beaver.

As Americans, it’s of course gratifying to hear people rave about their experiences in our country. The videos also offer an important lesson: You appreciate a place that you directly experience. When you break bread with someone or lift a glass together, you learn to value them. Visitor after visitor in these videos comments on how kind Americans are and how their visit exceeded their expectations.

There’s a little mockery involved, of course. A woman from England noted that everyone back home knew the World Cup was happening. “Here in the U.S.,” she said, “it has been different. I met some people that didn’t even realize that the World Cup started today.”

As I watched these videos, I couldn’t help but wonder if this is a formula for improving relationships and politics. Civility is more than being polite or sidelining deeply held beliefs. Civility involves respecting other people even if you see differences or disagreements.

One need not travel internationally to encounter new perspectives. As our European visitors are discovering right now, the United States is vast and varied. Thanks to our country’s celebration of free speech, I can encounter different opinions right in my own neighborhood.

So here’s to the World Cup and to visitors who are discovering America for the first time. May you leave with new friends and fond memories. U-S-A! U-S-A!

Permission to reprint this blog post in whole or in part is hereby granted, provided that the author (or authors) and the Mackinac Center for Public Policy are properly cited.