There is little visible excitement in the United States ahead of the FIFA World Cup, highlighting football’s limited cultural footprint in the country, US-based analyst Hans Mensah has said.

Speaking from Maryland on the Asaase Breakfast Show on Thursday (11 June), Mensah described a surprisingly subdued atmosphere.

“You can’t even tell that something is about to happen… it’s quite literally dead,” he said.

He noted that, unlike traditional football nations, the build-up lacks visible public engagement.

“You’re not seeing anything on TV, not hearing much on radio… there isn’t any huge build-up,” he added.

Mensah attributed this to football’s secondary status in the US sports hierarchy, where other sports dominate public attention.

However, he expects match-day atmospheres to differ significantly.

“You will see the euphoria at the stadium… especially from African and Latino communities,” he said.

According to him, immigrant communities will drive fan engagement.

“Mexicans, Brazilians, Africans — they are the ones who will fill the stadiums,” he noted.

Despite the slow build-up, Mensah said the tournament could still succeed commercially due to the country’s economic strength.