Parallels between the NFL and World Cup have always existed: They share the same sport name (football), teams play with 11 men on the field and, until the latter changed its format this year, both featured 32 teams. The lines blurred even further this year when the United States hosted the World Cup, with matches unfolding at 11 NFL stadiums. A closer look at the teams involved also reveals deep similarities in personnel, tactics and club history
Perhaps this is part of the reason so many non-soccer fans in the United States latched onto this year’s tournament more than past editions. Not only were matches unfolding in their backyard, but they also saw a little bit of their favorite NFL teams in the squads that flew to America to compete for international glory
There is not a direct correlation between every NFL club and one of the 48 teams that participated in the largest World Cup of all time, but in a handful of cases, the similarities are striking
Here are eight parallels
Seattle Seahawks = 🇪🇸 Spain
The reigning Super Bowl and World Cup champions have more in common than just the trophies in their possession. They won their titles with nearly identical blueprints
Mike Macdonald built the NFL’s stingiest defense in Seattle, orchestrating a unit that surrendered a league-low 292 points in the regular season, while Spain set a World Cup record with seven clean sheets in eight matches. Golden Glove winner Unai Simón allowed just one goal all tournament
Defense is both teams’ calling card, but they also reached the mountaintop thanks to young superstars leading the scoring charge. Nineteen-year-old Lamine Yamal became the face of the Spanish attack over the last year, and in Seattle, 24-year-old Jaxon Smith-Njigba is already the best offensive player in the NFL
Dallas Cowboys = 🇺🇸 United States
Seemingly every year for the last three decades, the Cowboys and their nationwide fanbase have entered the season thinking this is the year everything will come together and they will rekindle their old magic. Despite that often reckless optimism, they have not advanced beyond the divisional round since 1995. There could not be a more fitting franchise to hold the moniker of “America’s Team.”
Just as the Cowboys regularly fall short of everyone’s high aspirations, the United States Men’s National Team consistently underperforms on the world stage. Since their third-place finish in the inaugural World Cup in 1930, the USMNT have not once returned to the semifinals. Even the most talented roster like the 2026 edition left its massive fanbase wanting more
U.S. Soccer maps out long-term vision after USMNT’s roller coaster World Cup run
Pardeep Cattry
Los Angeles Rams = 🇫🇷 France
The Rams pushed all their chips forward this year and hope for a better result than France’s fourth-place World Cup finish. These teams are mirror images, disappointing French conclusion aside. Loaded with world-class offensive players, Los Angeles and France are always in the hunt — often at the front of the pack — for championships
If reigning MVP Matthew Stafford is Golden Boot winner Kylian Mbappé, then his top supporting weapon, Puka Nacua, is Ousmane Dembélé. As long as those duos are intact and the rosters around them remain fully stocked with stars, both will arguably be the most talented team in their respective sport
Kansas City Chiefs = 🇦🇷 Argentina
Every season, Patrick Mahomes solidifies his case as one of the greatest football players of all time. If Lionel Messi is not already the most legendary soccer star the world has ever seen, then he might just get there before his career wraps up in the next couple of years. Both own championships to pair with their unmatched skill and countless victories
And in both cases, it is not as though they are the only standouts on their teams. The Chiefs can never be counted out, no matter how large the fourth-quarter deficit, and Argentina just rattled off multiple magical rallies to reach their third World Cup final in four tournaments. What a coincidence — Kansas City has been to three of the last four Super Bowls
Buffalo Bills = 🏴 England
On one hand, always being good enough to compete for trophies is every team’s dream. But when title contention never actually leads to a breakthrough, it can be frustrating. The Bills and England are in the same boat in that regard
Buffalo made the playoffs in each of the last seven years but did not reach the Super Bowl during that stretch. England qualified for each of the last eight World Cups but failed to reach the final. They have nearly identical droughts, with the Bills’ last championship coming in 1965 and the Three Lions last finding world glory a year later at the 1966 World Cup.
Both hope a legendary attacking player will finally get them over the hump: Josh Allen for Buffalo and Harry Kane for England
Pittsburgh Steelers = 🇵🇹 Portugal
Would the Steelers be better off without Aaron Rodgers? Entering what he says will be the final year of his Hall of Fame career, he projects, approximately, as a replacement-level quarterback.
Would Portugal have fared better in the World Cup without Cristiano Ronaldo on the squad? Many argued that the greatest Portuguese player of all time should have held a bench role, at best
These teams might fare better without their aging legends, but even then, they are consistently decent at worst and always on the fringes of contention for trophies
New England Patriots = 🇧🇷 Brazil
The Patriots and Brazil are two of the greatest dynasties in world sports history. New England’s run of six Super Bowl wins this century and Seleção’s five all-time World Cup victories represent the pinnacles of championship success in their sports
With any dynasty, though, there can be a bit of a rough patch during the passing of the torch. The Patriots saw that in the years between Tom Brady’s departure and Drake Maye’s ascent. Brazil is in the midst of that right now as Neymar hands the baton to Vinícius Júnior
Both hope their next generation will take them to the same heights as the ones that came before them. They have reason to believe so, as Maye finished second in last year’s MVP voting and Viní Jr. was the 2024 Ballon d’Or runner-up
Cincinnati Bengals = 🇳🇴 Norway
The Bengals and Norway learned that it takes more than an elite offense to achieve greatness. Cincinnati regularly ranks among the NFL’s yardage and scoring leaders but, during the Joe Burrow era, has never had the defense to help deliver a title. Similarly, Norway finished the World Cup ranked sixth in goals scored but surrendered the fourth-most goals
Just as Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase can only contribute so much when they watch half the game from the sideline, the burden often falls on Erling Haaland to put his team on his shoulders and make up for leaky play on the other end of the field
