A cricket World Cup comes to America

In 1994whenFIFABy Leo Mirani, America hosted the men’s football World Cup, just 20% of Americans even knew it was happening in their country. Today, nearly a third of Americans who follow sports describe themselves as “avid” fans of soccer, no doubt helped by two consecutive World Cup victories, in 2015 and 2019, by their women’s team.Three decades after football’s first big American outing, cricket is starting its own journey in the world’s most valuable sports market. In June 2024 the United States will, jointly with the West Indies, host the men’s Twenty20 World Cup—the shortest and most popular form of cricket, in which each game lasts three hours, not five days. Around a third of the 55 matches will take place in America. The American team, as host, automatically qualifies for the tournament—its first-ever top-tier competition—and is hoping it will be a coming-out party for American cricket.