America’s Poor Global Reputation Didn't Get a World Cup Boost

The World Cup has come to an end. Did playing co-host benefit the United States' reputation across the globe?

Along with the on-field entertainment, viral videos of tourists enjoying all kinds of American culture were plentiful, providing a potent soft power moment for a country badly in need of one. However, Morning Consult's high frequency tracking in over 40 markets showed the impact was ultimately negligible. 

Global net favorability toward the U.S. averaged −6.8 across the 42 markets Morning Consult tracks in the month before kickoff. Over the full tournament, it stood at −5.2. That +1.6-point drift is a modest continuation of a recovery that began in May, well before the first whistle.

U.S. standing collapsed in early 2025 — the global average fell from roughly +20 in late 2024 to −15 by April 2026, with the steepest drop coming after President Trump's election and in the lead-up to the April 2025 tariff announcement. Europe remains the epicenter of discontent: net favorability there sits near −25. 

Global Perceptions of the U.S. Over Time

Recent gains don’t appear World-Cup driven. The biggest post-kickoff improvements came in Pakistan (+9.9), Switzerland (+9.2), China (+8.0), Turkey (+7.8), the Czech Republic (+6.4), and Germany (+6.2) — a set spanning four regions with no coherent tournament tie. Meanwhile the largest declines — Israel (−15.2) and Russia (−12.2) — track geopolitical dynamics, not sports. Twenty-nine of 42 markets improved; the median move was about +2, within normal month-to-month noise. 

Where Sentiment Moved During the Tournament, By Country

What U.S. brands with a global footprint should know

The World Cup had the potential to function as a soft-power engine for America, but this one ran into a stiff headwind. Morning Consult data suggests that, for now, brands are better off paying attention to what’s happening in Iran or Trump's latest tariffs announcement than even major cultural moments such as the World Cup.

The markets where U.S. standing is genuinely improving — such as India, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Brazil — are potentially a better fit for America-forward positioning, while in Western Europe and Canada, brands should continue to localize hard and let category benefits, not country-of-origin, carry the message.

Methodology: Daily surveys, aggregated across 42 markets. Net favorability = favorable minus unfavorable share. Pre/post windows: May 10–June 10 vs. June 11–July 19, 2026; all markets n≥200 per window, most 1,500+. Regional and global figures are simple averages of market-level net favorability. Chart shows monthly rollups, Jan 2022–Jul 2026; July reflects collection through July 19.