Mia Hamm cheers on U.S. men, recalls 1999 home joy

Mia Hamm is in the stands as the U.S. men’s national team pushes through the 2026 World Cup, and she’s bringing a veteran’s perspective—along with vivid memories from 1999, when her team won the title in her home country. She also weighed in on Christian Pulis

When Mia Hamm walked into the World Cup moment, she brought more than a legend’s confidence—she brought the feeling of being in the right place at the right time.

The former U.S. forward. whose name is woven into the sport’s biggest American chapter. is showing up in person to cheer on the U.S. men’s national team as they push ahead at the 2026 World Cup. She called the tournament “amazing” and said the atmosphere has been electric—full of people who look genuinely happy to be there. “kitted out. ” wearing the colors. and soaking in the excitement.

Hamm said she was able to watch and attend the men’s first game in Los Angeles, after the team opened with a 4-1 win over Paraguay on June 12. She plans to be at Thursday’s match against Turkey.

In her mind, it’s not just about the scoreboard. She sees a parallel between what she lived through when the stakes were highest and what it means for a new generation to reach this stage.

“ I grew up going to Men’s World Cups and seeing the stadiums they were able to play in and never thinking that I’d be playing in one and that it’d be sold out. ” Hamm said. Now the 2026 FIFA World Cup is hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, with 11 U.S. cities hosting games over the next several weeks.

Her connection to this kind of spectacle is personal. Hamm won the FIFA Women’s World Cup twice—1991 and 1999—and she remembers the 1999 title as something that hit differently because it happened on home turf.

“I was able to watch and go to the men’s first game in Los Angeles,” Hamm told ABC News of the 4-1 opening win over Paraguay on June 12, adding that she will attend Thursday’s match against Turkey.

She said that “obviously winning” is among her core World Cup memories. but the 1999 triumph was “incredible” because it was a victory in her home country. That U.S. Women’s National Team win came when Team USA defeated Team China 5-4 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. California—decided in sudden death after two overtimes—on July 10. 1999.

Hamm didn’t just talk about the final. She reached for a smaller moment that still carries the emotional weight of a whole run.

“One of the best memories I had was going to the first game here in New York at the Meadowlands and driving up and passing cars that had their windows polished — ‘Go USA’. ” she said. “Then you drive into the stadium and families are tailgating and they’re wearing your jersey — It was really emotional for all of us.”.

Her career began at 15, and it ended when she retired at 32 in 2004. She played in four FIFA Women’s World Cups and is a three-time Olympic medalist with two gold and one silver. Off the field now. Hamm has become an owner in both Major League Soccer and the National Women’s Soccer League. while also working to foster the future health of the game.

That’s why she didn’t just talk about what’s joyful about the World Cup—she also spoke about what it feels like when the timing turns.

The U.S. men’s team, she said, has the momentum of an early win, and their road to the round of 32 is in view. But there’s also a tension point: star attacker Christian Pulisic sat out the first two matches due to a left calf injury and returned to full training on Monday, per ESPN.

Hamm said she understands firsthand what it’s like to be sidelined when it matters most, and to have to “look at the long game” to come back full strength. She also recently teamed up with Tylenol for a new PainTalk campaign to encourage open conversations around pain in women’s sports.

“He’s a competitor — there is no one who wants to be on that field more than he does. ” Hamm said. “I’m sure he would have said. ‘I could play the last game. ‘ but the U.S. by winning the first game. put themselves in a position to make that decision. They’re looking at round of 32. and they want Christian Pulisic on the field for that and to make sure that there are no questions about his health.”.

Hamm added that Pulisic just needs confidence in the people making the call.

“He just has to be confident in the decisions that he and the training staff and the coaching staff are making and just be ready for when he can get back on the field,” she said.

She also zeroed in on the kind of visiting-fan stories that have made the World Cup feel bigger than the tournament itself. Hamm said she’s loved watching the way supporters show up in unfamiliar cities—like Scottish fans being embraced in Boston and Norwegian fans visiting New York—and she called it a “sense of the pride that’s associated” with the World Cup.

When the conversation shifted to the individual moments that can rewrite the sport, Hamm pointed to Lionel Messi breaking the World Cup scoring record. Messi notched his 17th and 18th career goals on Monday against Austria.

“Our sport, it doesn’t matter your size,” Hamm said. “His skill is unbelievable and he’s been special ever since he was younger. but if Messi walked in here with his entire team and you didn’t know anything about soccer. he would not be the person that you said. ‘Oh yeah. that’s by far the best player on their team’ — and he’s the best player in the world.”.

Then came the predictions—less about hype and more about how she believes teams are building themselves as the tournament moves into the later rounds.

“France looks really good — you never count Argentina out,” Hamm said. “And I don’t think Spain has played their best soccer yet.”

For Hamm, that blend—home-turf emotion, the discipline of recovery, and the belief that the next game matters more than the last—reads like a blueprint for what the U.S. men’s team is trying to do right now.

Mia Hamm 2026 World Cup U.S. men's national team Christian Pulisic France Argentina Spain Lionel Messi 1999 World Cup Rose Bowl Tylenol PainTalk