Tsawon makonni shida a bazara na 2026, New York City ta kasance cibiyar duniyar kwallon kafa — kuma birnin ya nuna iyawa ta hanyar da ta huce duk wanda ya yi shakkar cewa Amurkawa za iya karɓar wannan wasanni.
Lokacin gasar ya kasance abin lura. Kofin Duniya ya isa birni wanda yake tuni yana ruri da abubuwa masu tarihi: New York Knicks suna neman gasar NBA ta farko tun 1973, ranar 4 ga Yuli ta nuna cika shekara 250 na 'yancin kai na Amurka, kuma jerin manyan abubuwan al'adu sun mayar da Manhattan a matsayin matakalar duniya tsawon lokacin bazara.
Zazzaɓin Knicks da sha'awar kwallon kafa
Sa'ad da New York Knicks suka kusanci nasara ta farko a shekara 53, New York ta koma cikin zazzaɓin Knicks — kuma haka ya cancanta. NYPD ta rufe tituna a kusa da Madison Square Garden don sarrafa taron jama'a. Masu murnar nasara sun mamaye motoci, bas, da ginshiƙan fitilun titi. An kiyasta cewa mutane miliyan biyu sun ɓaɓɓako tituna na tsakiyar Manhattan don bikin jerin gwano a cikin bus mai buɗe bisa. A mako na farko, Kofin Duniya ya ɗan ɓoye a bayan fage — kuma hakan ya zama daidai.
Amma sha'awar da ta ƙarfafa bikin Knicks ta ƙaura kai tsaye zuwa kwallon kafa. Kowace mashaya, gidan aski, da kantin kayan abinci sun kona wasannin a talabijin. Birni ya buɗe fakin masoya guda biyar na hukuma — ɗaya a kowace unguwa — dukkaninsu cike. Manyan allon nuni a ko'ina a New York sun nuna kowace wasa.
Queens: unguwar duniya ta cika alkawarta
Bambancin al'ummar New York ya sa ta zama birni mai masaukin baki wanda babu makamancin sa. Queens, wanda ake kira Unguwar Duniya, ta ba da gogewa ta masoya wanda babu filin wasa da zai iya maimaitawa. Masoya Colombia sun cika wata mashaya ta Colombia a Jackson Heights. Masoya Ecuador sun mayar da Little Ecuador a Corona zuwa wata bukukuwa. Kuma a gidan cin naman shanu na Boca Juniors da ke Elmhurst — wanda aka nannade shi cikin babban tutar Argentina — yanayin ya kasance abin mamaki sosai.
A cikin gidan cin naman shanu ne Lionel Messi ya ci ƙwallaye biyu a kan Austria don karya tarihin yawan ƙwallaye da aka taba ci a Kofin Duniya. Abubuwan da suka biyo baya sun kasance na musamman sosai a tarihin kwallon kafa. Duk wanda yake a wannan gini ya san abin da ya kasance mai shaida.
Times Square: birni da aka nannade da Kofin Duniya
A Times Square, cike da abubuwan da ke damun hankali ya kasance cikakke. Allunan talla sun nuna Messi yana tallata Michelob Ultra, Christian Pulisic yana tallata sinadarin ƙanshi, da 'yan wasan Argentina suna gaba ga kamfanin kasuwancin hasashe Kalshi. Wata dare, jirgin ruwa ya ɗauke hoton katako na Lamine Yamal mai tsayin mitoci 15 a kan Kogin East tsakanin Manhattan da Brooklyn don tallata sabuwar takalmin Adidas. Tagogin shaguna a duk birni an ado su da kayan tunawa na Kofin Duniya, kuma rigar duk ƙasashe 48 da ke gasar ana iya ganinsu a titi a kowane lokaci.
Times Square ya zama hedikwatar marasa hukuma na kawo masoya. A matakin ƙungiyoyi kaɗai, masoya daga Brazil, Ecuador, France, Norway, da Panama sun tattara a gaba a wannan mahaɗin cikin adadi mai yawa — Norwegians ma sun yi Viking Row da suke shahara da shi. A duk lokacin da wata ƙasa ta buga a MetLife Stadium da ke New Jersey, masoyanta sun fara tarawa a Times Square don waƙa da rawa.
Masoya Amurkawa sun tabbatar da kuskuren masu shakka
Masoya USMNT sun kasance masu sha'awa daidai da kowane ƙasa. A Socceria, wata sabuwar mashaya a Brooklyn, yanayin a lokacin wasan marhala ta 32 tsakanin United States da Belgium ya kasance na ban murna — har ma an ga Magajin Garin New York Zohran Mamdani yana kallo a ciki. Sa'ad da ake sake duba yanke shawara na VAR, dukkan mashaya sun yi shiru. Sa'ad da USMNT suka fita bayan an kayar da su da Belgium, ya ciwo. Amma masoya sun sake tsayuwa suka jajirce suka ci gaba da bin sauran gasar.
Gine-ginen tarihi na birni sun zama wani ɓangare na labarin. Classic Football Shirts ta shirya wani nuni a Empire State Building. Mutum-mutumin Atlas da ke wajen Rockefeller Centre ya maye gurbin duniyarsa da babban ƙwallo na Adidas. Wani babban abin kwaikwayon Lego na kofin Kofin Duniya ya tsaya inda itacen Kirsimeti na Rockefeller yake tsayawa yawanci. Masoya sun kalli Spain ta doke Belgium daga saman Top of the Rock, da Netherlands ta fuskanci Japan a ƙarƙashin Brooklyn Bridge. Dubundubu sun cika Central Park don kallon Spain ta doke Argentina a ƙarshen gasar.
Da dare kafin ƙarshen gasar, jiragen sama masu sarrafa kansu ta nesa sun zana hoton kofin Kofin Duniya a sararin Manhattan. Birni ya ba da kansa gaba ɗaya ga kwallon kafa — kuma duniya ta zo ta yi wasa a New York.
Akwai abubuwa da yawa da ya kamata a soki a wannan Kofin Duniya: hutun sha na tallace-tallace mara ma'ana, farashi masu canzawa na tikiti, tsoma bakin siyasa, da wasan rawar gani a rabin lokaci na ƙarshen gasar. Amma idan ya zo ga yanayi na masoya da karɓar kwallon kafa da hankali da farin ciki, babu wuri a duniya da ya yi kama da New York a bazara na 2026.
