Source: Politics<\/p>\n
Josh Shapiro can\u2019t quit the World Cup.<\/p>\n
The Pennsylvania governor, who is currently leaning into a Sports Guy\u2122 persona as Democrats bid to connect better with American voters, has attended four matches, including Saturday\u2019s Round of 16 showdown between Paraguay and France in Philadelphia \u2014 two more than his next closest potential 2028 rival, Secretary of State Marco Rubio.<\/p>\n
Shapiro, who by his own admission is not a natural soccer fan, has emerged as an avatar of the average American World Cup convert, the kind of sports watcher who prefers basketball or football, but who has been enchanted by the U.S. run deep into the tournament and the international joie de vivre and domestic patriotism that comes with hosting major matches in his backyard.<\/p>\n
More than just a pop-culture marker, attendance at the 2026 World Cup has become a way for ambitious politicians to see and be seen by powerbrokers \u2014 a trendy way to stoke the attention-economy flywheel. Shapiro, in particular, has done rounds of World Cup-related press, including an interview with POLITICO at the FIFA Fan Festival at Fairmount Park\u2019s Lemon Hill.<\/p>\n
\u201cA little bit of a Johnny Come Lately when it comes to soccer every four years,\u201d Shapiro told WHYY\u2019s Sports in America podcast in an interview that aired this week. \u201cBut when I get into it, I\u2019m into it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Here are the potential 2028 presidential hopefuls who have attended a World Cup game so far:<\/p>\n
\u2014 Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro: 4 matches (Paraguay vs. France; Ivory Coast vs. Ecuador; France vs. Iraq; Cura\u00e7ao vs. Ivory Coast)<\/p>\n
\u2014 Secretary of State Marco Rubio: 2 matches (U.S. vs. Paraguay; Colombia vs. Portugal)<\/p>\n
\u2014 California Gov. Gavin Newsom: 1 match (U.S. vs. Paraguay)<\/p>\n
\u2014 Former Vice President Kamala Harris: 1 match (U.S. vs. Turkey)<\/p>\n
\u2014 Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.: 1 match (U.S. vs. Australia)<\/p>\n