There is something about this moment in time that makes it seem as though humans are seeking collective healing. This 2026 World Cup tournament has served as a beautiful reminder that we’re all connected—as countries, fans, and humans.
Sebastian Kraus, a hardcore German World Cup fan, had seen years of news reports describing the United States as an incredibly dangerous country. Expecting to find crime around every corner, as he’d been warned, he instead found something that literally brought him to tears.
Tears of joy
Germany has won the World Cup four times and was favored to beat Paraguay at Boston Stadium. So it came as a shock to many when the team lost on penalties in the Round of 32. Kraus was interviewed on NBC 10 Boston, and even he was surprised by his emotional reaction. Not so much to the game itself, but to what he’d observed about the U.S.
He talked to reporter Oscar Margáin, but before he could fully get the words out, Kraus pulled out a tissue to dab his eyes. “I fall in love with this country and this was so emotional, I even cried in the stadium,” he said.
News outlets in Europe had him truly frightened. “To be honest, I was a bit scared or had a fear to travel to the United States. News about shootings and criminals and that the country’s not safe,” Kraus said.
But once he actually got there and joined in the camaraderie, he said he felt completely accepted. “Americans are not rude. Germans are not rude,” he added. “If we are together, we can achieve great things.”
New Boston friends
Of course, he even made new friends. Kraus shared a clip of a man named Bob who, along with his friends, gave him a ride home.
“Bob takes us home. It’s great. America is great,” he said.
‘We must have really made him feel loved’
Nearly everywhere this has been posted on social media, it has garnered thousands of comments from people who were moved by the kindness.
On NBC 10 Boston’s Instagram post, one commenter shared, “Travel is the best way to challenge your own assumptions. Grateful for this experience.”
On the Breaking News No Filter Instagram page, one person pointed out the rarity of this kind of emotion: “Germans don’t get emotional like this. I came from German stock, and I lived there for a while. We must have really made him feel loved.”
Others shared their own stories of hospitality. A Canadian wrote, in part, “I have hours of stories like this. Museum/gallery staff in NYC, Cleveland, Boston…they would smile and offer me anything I wanted to see. They would even ask if I need a lift back to my hotel.”
This Instagrammer shared a lovely sentiment: “Goes to show there are these things that are bigger than us all which can bring us together. There’s no politics involved, no left and no right. Just people from all walks of life, countries and races enjoying themselves on the world’s largest stage! Love this!”
Came for the games, stayed for the Fourth
Despite Germany’s elimination a week earlier, Kraus was so moved by the kindness he found in the U.S. that he stayed to celebrate the Fourth of July.
“The grand finale in Washington, D.C. was absolutely unreal. I’ve never seen fireworks like this before. What a night. Happy Independence Day, America,” he wrote on Instagram.
