TLDR
As Scotland and other visiting fans turn U.S. stadiums into roaring choirs, American World Cup supporters are being told their chants sound tame, even by Jason and Travis Kelce.
The soundtrack of this World Cup in the United States is not coming from the home crowd. It is arriving from tartan-clad Scots, orange-cloaked Dutch supporters, and exuberant visitors who have turned American streets and stadiums into moving, singing seas of color.
In the middle of that, a clip of polite U.S. fans went viral. Their chant, sung with cheer-squad energy, went, “We support the US, the US, the US, and that’s the way we like it, we like it, we love it!” Online, it was branded “too nice,” the kind of song you teach at summer camp, not on the world’s biggest football stage.
The criticism might have stayed in niche football circles if not for two of America’s most visible athletes. On their “New Heights” podcast, NFL brothers Jason and Travis Kelce weighed in after Jason attended a U.S. game. He zeroed in on the familiar stadium staple, “I believe that we can win.”
“‘I believe that we can win’ is the most loser mentality chant I have ever heard,” Jason said, wondering aloud why a crowd would express belief instead of dominance. The brothers argued that the point of a chant is to rattle the opponent, not sound like a motivational poster.
That sting hit a nerve, especially coming from Travis Kelce, whose relationship with Taylor Swift has already made him a face of American sports far beyond the NFL. If even the Kelces are cringing, what does that say about the U.S. fan reputation as the country prepares to host the world?
By comparison, the visitors are staging a masterclass. Scotland supporters have thundered through “The Flower of Scotland” in Foxborough and packed Boston pubs until the walls rattled. In one viral moment, thousands of Scots at Fenway Park swayed and shouted along to “Mr Brightside” as if it were a national hymn. An estimated 5,000 joined a march from Evans Way Park to the ballpark for “Scotland Day,” turning a baseball promotion into a traveling, singing carnival.
Online, American fans are not denying the gap. One wrote on X, “Dear Americans going to a US World Cup match: please, please, please sing our anthem like these proud Scots.” Another admitted, “American sports are amazing, but our European friends absolutely kick our butts w/ their chants, cheers & songs.” Someone else summed it up bluntly: “American chants are the cringiest thing ever.”
To be fair, Major League Soccer crowds have quietly built something louder and more layered in recent years. Supporters’ sections unveil towering tifos, lead coordinated rhythms, and keep drums rolling from whistle to whistle. MLS atmospheres often surprise visiting Europeans who expect silence and instead find a party.
The disconnect appears when the crest changes to the U.S. national team. Without dedicated “ultras” shaping the sound, chants drift toward the generic: “Go team!” and “De-fence!” The results feel familiar to American ears raised on “Sweet Caroline” and “The Star-Spangled Banner,” but underwhelming next to thousands of Scots roaring a cappella or Icelandic fans once timing that famous thunder clap.
There is also a cultural line Americans are hesitant to cross. Some of the most famous England chants lean on harsh language and provocative lyrics, and critics note that their bite is part of the intimidation. U.S. supporters tend to avoid that edge, which keeps things family-friendly but can read as corny when stacked against rowdy visitors.
Still, the story is not finished. The same country that turned ballpark sing-alongs into ritual and made “Mr. Brightside” a cross-genre anthem is watching, listening, and clearly a little embarrassed. The question hanging over this World Cup is simple. By the time the final whistle blows on home soil, will American fans still be politely believing they can win, or will they have finally found a voice that can stand up to the roar from across the ocean?
Do you think American supporter culture should stay positive and family-focused, or is it time to borrow some of Europe’s edge? Which chants would you want to hear echoing around a World Cup stadium on home turf?
