Along the 7 train in Queens, World Cup fans welcome the 'beautiful game'

Members of the Fuego FC play against Strong Blood FC on field 5 in Flushing Meadows Corona Park as commotion from echoes off the multiple fields hosting adult recreational league soccer matches in Queens, New York, U.S., on Sunday, June 7, 2026. José A. Alvarado Jr. for NPR hide caption

The World Cup kicks off this week with New York and New Jersey among the 11 U.S. host regions for the tournament's 39 day run. Some 1.2 million visitors are expected to flock to the area. But ask New Yorkers about soccer, and you'll likely be pointed in the direction of Queens, where soccer is more than a sport. It's a way of life.

Cutting through Queens is the 7 train, also known as "the International Express." Every stop passes through a different immigrant enclave, each with a unique relationship to the beautiful game. NPR spent a recent Sunday traveling along the 7 line, talking to local players and fans. We started at the Flushing Meadows stop, a sprawling green park filled with soccer fields.

QUEENS, New York - It is early morning and the heat is already oppressive. While watching his team play from the sidelines, Coach Guillermo Andrade explains how soccer saved his life.

Guillermo Andrade, Head Coach of the Peruvian American Soccer, stands for a portrait as his team plays against Galaxy FC on field 5 in Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens, New York, on June 7. José A. Alvarado Jr. for NPR hide caption

Back in Peru, Andrade was a physical education teacher. He says the country was being rocked by corruption and violence, and he saw many of his students leave. He eventually did the same, picking up 25 years ago and coming to New York City.

"My first job was handing out flyers on the street in Manhattan. It was winter, it was cold, the kind that makes it so you can't even take your hand out of your gloves," he said. "I would ask myself: 'What am I even doing here?' "

On one of those winter days, his sister encouraged him to go check out the soccer games in Queens. He took the 7 line. When he got to the fields there, he heard, " Coach? Coach Guille? Is that you?"