Mia Hamm knows the sensation of netting a World Cup goal in front of over 90,000 Americans on home turf.
Now, the U.S. soccer legend is showing up in person to cheer on the U.S. men's national team as they push ahead on the sport's biggest stage at the 2026 World Cup, which she said has been nothing short of "amazing."
"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.
"It's been so much fun. To see the excitement around the game, the positivity has been incredible. People are just genuinely happy to be there -- they're all kitted out, they're wearing the colors," Hamm said.
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.
"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 reminisced on the parallels of her own professional peak and what it means to make it to this level.
Hamm, a four-time FIFA Women's World Cup competitor with wins in 1991 and 1999, has a unique perspective off the pitch since her iconic playing career that began at just 15 years old wrapped when she retired at 32 in 2004.
She said that "obviously winning" is among her core World Cup memories, but that the '99 win was "incredible" because it was a victory in her home country. The U.S. Women's National Team won that year 5-4 over China at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.
"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."
Hamm, a three-time Olympic medalist with two gold and one silver, was named FIFA Player of the Year twice in her illustrious international career with 158 goals in 276 appearances for the USWNT. Hamm is now an owner in both Major League Soccer and the National Women's Soccer League, and is working to foster the future health of the game.
Having been in their proverbial shoes with early win momentum, the former forward and midfielder with eight career World Cup goals weighed in on the mental state of the U.S. men, whose hot start among fierce competition has cemented a road to the round of 32.
The team's star forward, Christian Pulisic, sat out the first two matches due to a left calf injury and returned to full training on Monday, per ESPN. Hamm, who recently teamed up with Tylenol for a new Pain Talk campaign, said she understands firsthand what it's like to be sidelined when it matters most and having to "look at the long game" to come back full strength.
"He's a competitor -- there is no one who wants to be on that field more than he does," she 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."
"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," Hamm continued.
Like so many Americans, Hamm has loved the visiting fan storylines like the Scottish fans being embraced in Boston and the Norwegian fans visiting New York, which she said shows the "sense of the pride that's associated" with the World Cup.
She also weighed in on Lionel Messi's feat, breaking the World Cup scoring record with his 17th and 18th career goals notched Monday against Austria.
"Our sport, it doesn't matter your size," she said of the Argentinian star who stands at 5-foot 7-inches. "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."
Finally, Hamm shared her predictions "based on performance" so far of what she says could be ahead in the later World Cup rounds.
"France looks really good -- you never count Argentina out," she said. "And I don't think Spain has played their best soccer yet."
