Dominique Garnier laments lack of football atmosphere at US World Cup | OneFootball

Dominique Garnier, at his 11th World Cup and 10th following the Bleus, says the 2026 tournament in the United States has lacked a football atmosphere.

According to L'Équipe, the 64-year-old former goalkeeper from Normandy has not missed a France match at a World Cup since 1982. He played in the National in the 1980s, now lives in Australia, and has worked there in football, including coaching goalkeepers for the women’s national team and mentoring youngsters at a local academy.

His travels have produced improbable moments, among them a chance encounter with Diego Maradona at a France v Italy match, attended alongside Argentina team-mates.

For this World Cup he travelled on a budget of about 10,000 euros, using reduced-price supporters’ tickets and scouring for transport deals.

In New York, Philadelphia and Boston, where he followed France, he found virtually no football mood. Locals often asked what he was doing, some unaware the World Cup, which he sets alongside the Olympics as the biggest event, was even on. He said he could understand it, recalling the New York Knicks’ NBA title parade as extraordinary, and noting the focus on basketball and American football rather than soccer.

He did not expect Dallas, Texas, where France face Spain on Tuesday, to change that view.

Source: L'Équipe