Supporters will be living and dying with every touch this summer at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The tournament will feature intensity and passion in the stands that American sports fans won’t be used to seeing very often.
Zlatan Ibrahimović and Tom Brady sat down ahead of the tournament this summer and covered a variety of topics, including how fans support their teams. Soccer fans around the world are extremely passionate and will be very vocal with their satisfaction — or dissatisfaction.
Brady found a parallel in American sports, comparing how fans in Europe are born into supporting a club or country to supporting a college team.
“I always describe European soccer as more college fanaticism because if you go to that college, you love that college forever. You’re born into that,” Brady said. “You chose that college, you’ll forever support that college. That’s, to me, what being born into one of the environments in Europe. You pick your team, and you’re with them forever.
“In America, yeah, you’re with [a professional team] forever. But you also say, ‘Hey, I kind of like that team because I really like that player.’ And if you’re a LeBron James fan, wherever he went, you’re going to ultimately like that team.”
The atmospheres at games in Europe are also very different. Obviously, soccer clubs are treated very differently than in Major League Soccer, but the attitude extends to other sports, as well.
“I truly believe the American athlete would enjoy differently in Europe with those fans, especially your world,” said Ibrahimović, who played with LA Galaxy of the MLS for two seasons and spent the majority of his professional career in Europe. “… I mean, I know when I went in a duel with a player head-to-head, the fans wanted to come in and play one side vs. the other side.”
Ibrahimović mentioned that he wonders how even a top basketball player like LeBron James would face an extremely different atmosphere in Europe.
“I know basketball, you talk about LeBron with the Lakers fans and that I’ve been there, but I’ve been also in Belgrade and see a basketball game there,” Ibrahimović said. “Whoa, that’s a little bit scary compared [to the NBA]. That’s why I think that the American athlete, if he would go through there, I don’t know if he would become better.
“It would be different.”
Tom Brady joined Zlatan Ibrahimovic for an AC Milan match in February. (Sara Cavallini/AC Milan via Getty Images)
In terms of how the Swedish national team was supported throughout his career, Ibrahimović had nothing but positive things to say. He appreciated how positive the Swedes were, regardless of results, although he didn’t necessarily agree with their attitudes.
“Our fans in Sweden were amazing,” Ibrahimović said. “Win or lose, they were supporting you, which I find strange because when you lose, they shouldn’t support you.”
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