Europeans Visiting America for the World Cup Are Taking Over Social Media

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is in full swing, and if you're anything like the Bennett Creative crew, you've probably spent the last few weeks bouncing between match highlights, Meanwhile Brewing watch parties, and a seemingly endless stream of World Cup content on social media.

As a video production company and social media agency in Austin, Texas, we're fascinated by the stories that emerge around major cultural events. And while soccer itself has been incredible, one of our favorite trends has almost nothing to do with soccer.

It's Europeans visiting America and what they're experiencing

Every day, TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube are filling up with videos from international visitors experiencing the United States for the first time. They're documenting giant gas stations, ahem looking at you Buc-ees. They're reviewing ranch dressing like it's a Michelin-starred dish. They're trying Taco Bell. They're attempting to comprehend the size of Texas and ordering meals intended for one person and receiving enough food to feed an entire youth soccer team.

And people can't stop watching.

These videos aren't going viral because they're professionally produced. They're going viral because they're an authentic reaction to America. Americans are loving that reaction. The World Cup may have brought millions of fans to America, but American culture has become the content.

For marketers, creators, and brands, Bennett Creative sees a surprisingly valuable lesson hiding inside all these viral reaction videos.

Why Are Europeans So Obsessed With Buc-ee's?

Let's address the beaver in the room.

If there is one business unexpectedly winning the World Cup social media conversation, it might be Buc-ee's.

For Texans, Buc-ee's is gas station with great billboards. We know the brisket sandwiches. We know the wall of beef jerky. The clean bathrooms that have their own reputation (yes, I would choose a Buc-ee’s bathroom over any other gas station). But imagine seeing it through the eyes of someone from Europe.

Many European countries simply don't have an equivalent. A gas station is a gas station. Maybe it sells snacks or even has a small convenience store. And you might have to pay to use the bathroom. That's usually where the story ends.

Then they walk into Buc-ee's and discover what can only be described as a gas station, grocery store, gift shop, barbecue restaurant, clothing retailer, bakery, and tourist attraction all rolled into one massive building.

The reactions are priceless. People film themselves wandering the aisles in genuine disbelief. They take photos of the snack selections. They buy Buc-ee's merchandise as souvenirs. Some spend longer inside Buc-ee's than they do at actual tourist attractions.

And honestly? We understand why. The reason these social media videos perform so well is because they're built around surprise.

Social media thrives on moments where expectations collide with reality. Buc-ee's delivers that collision immediately. For brands, this is a reminder that uniqueness is often more valuable than polish. The things you think are normal about your business might be the very things outsiders find fascinating.

Why Do Europeans Think American Portion Sizes Are So Big?

Because they are. This might be the least controversial statement on the internet.

One of the most common World Cup social media trends involves visitors ordering food and immediately questioning American’s food intake.

A side of fries appears. It's enough for three people.

A soda arrives. It resembles a small aquarium.

An appetizer lands on the table. Everyone assumes it's intended for sharing and it's not.

American portion sizes (and drink refills) have become one of the defining themes of World Cup travel content because they're visually shocking and visual shock is social media fuel.

You don't need language to understand the joke. You don't need context, you simply need to see someone's face when they realize the Chipotle burrito in front of them weighs roughly the same as a newborn child.

What makes this content especially interesting is that Americans love watching it, too.

There's something oddly entertaining about seeing your own culture through someone else's eyes. The things we've normalized suddenly become absurd. And that's where great content lives—in the gap between what one group considers normal and what another group finds unbelievable.

Why Are Europeans Visiting America Trying Ranch Dressing For The First Time?

If social media had a mascot for America right now, it might be ranch dressing.

We've seen countless videos of European visitors trying ranch for the first time, and the reactions range from delight to complete confusion.

Americans put ranch on everything. Pizza, chicken wings, french fries, vegetables, sandwiches and more. Things that maybe should not have ranch on them.

For many international visitors, ranch exists mostly as a cultural reference. They've heard Americans talk about it. They've seen memes about it. They've watched movies where people casually dip things into it.

But now they're finally trying it and the results are content gold.

Some instantly understand the hype. Others seem genuinely concerned for our collective well-being. Either way, people watch.

This trend highlights an important marketing principle: familiarity is relative. One audience's everyday experience is another audience's fascinating discovery. When brands are searching for content ideas, they often look for something completely new. Sometimes the better strategy is simply finding a new perspective on something familiar.

Why Are Europeans Shocked By How Big America Is?

This may be the most educational trend emerging from the World Cup.

Many visitors arrive with a rough understanding of America's size. Then they have to drive somewhere, be it between cities or think about a trip to see a friend on the East Coast. Shocker, from the West Coast it’s 42 hours.

For Europeans, crossing a border can happen during a casual afternoon drive. In the United States, you can drive for ten hours and still be in Texas. The scale feels different because it is different.

We've seen countless social posts documenting this realization.

Visitors discover that traveling between World Cup host cities isn't nearly as simple as they imagined. They realize that Dallas and Los Angeles are not neighbors and that New York and Miami are not quick day trips. Texas alone would rank among the largest countries in Europe. The reactions are genuine because maps don't always communicate scale, experience does.

For content creators, this trend demonstrates something powerful: people love moments of realization. The internet isn't just built on entertainment: It's built on perspective shifts.

Why Is Taco Bell Going Viral During The World Cup?

If you're American, Taco Bell probably feels ordinary (or even gross). If you're visiting from another country, it too can feel like a cultural landmark.

Many international visitors have heard about Taco Bell for years without ever stepping inside one. They've seen references online and watched influencers review menu items.

They've heard stories, now they're finally getting to experience it firsthand.

The same is true for Whataburger, Chick-fil-A, Canes, In-N-Out, and countless regional chains.

What's interesting is that these brands aren't necessarily driving the conversation. The visitors are. The audience is creating the content and telling the story.

That's an important lesson for modern marketers. The best marketing often happens when customers become the storytellers. Brands spend enormous amounts of money trying to manufacture authenticity. Meanwhile, a tourist trying a Crunchwrap Supreme for the first time can generate more engagement than an entire ad campaign.

That's not a criticism of advertising, it's a reminder that authentic experiences remain the most powerful marketing tool in existence.

What Culture Shocks Are Europeans Experiencing During The World Cup?

Beyond food and travel, there are dozens of smaller discoveries fueling content across social media.

Free refills.

Ice in every drink.

Massive portion sizes.

Huge pickup trucks.

Jets flying over the stadium before a soccer match.

The amount of soda and cereal options in WalMart.

Air conditioning that feels capable of preserving frozen food.

Huge grocery stores.

Friendly conversations with strangers.

The sheer number of American flags.

Individually, these moments seem insignificant. Collectively, they paint a picture of American culture that feels surprising, amusing, and endlessly shareable. Many people around the world have also grown up watching American films and movies and seeing things that are in movies - yellow school buses for example - feels very novel.

The reason these videos perform well is because they're rooted in genuine observation. They're not trying to go viral, they're simply documenting reality. Ironically, that's often what makes them go viral.

At Bennett Creative, we talk to brands all the time about authenticity. The lesson isn't that everything should be raw or unpolished. The lesson is that audiences respond to genuine human experiences. People can tell the difference.

Why Are European Tourists Posting So Much About America On TikTok?

Reaction content has become one of the most effective formats on the internet.

Think about it. Americans enjoy seeing international visitors react to things we consider normal. International audiences enjoy watching travelers navigate unfamiliar experiences. Algorithms reward engagement. Everyone wins and this all creates the perfect environment for viral content.

What's particularly interesting is how little production value is required. Most of these videos are super simple: someone encounters something unexpected, they react and then they share it and sometimes, millions of people watch.

This is one of the biggest shifts we've seen in social media over the past decade. 

The internet has moved away from perfection and toward participation. People don't just want polished content, they want perspective, reactions and stories. Especially when your vacation is something as epic as the World Cup, why would you not document the large (pun intended) cultural phenomenon that is America.

The World Cup is simply amplifying that reality on a global scale.

What Can Brands Learn From These World Cup Social Media Trends?

This is where things get really interesting. Beneath every Buc-ee's video and ranch dressing review is a lesson about modern marketing. The biggest takeaway?

Events don't create engagement. Reactions create engagement.

The World Cup itself is obviously a massive event, but the content generating millions of views isn't always the game-winning goal. It's the fan discovering America for the first time. The tourist ordering a giant meal. A European standing inside Buc-ee's trying to process what they're seeing.

The event creates the opportunity. The reaction creates the story. And that's a distinction many brands miss.

Too often, companies focus entirely on announcements, launches, promotions, and events. And while those things matter, audiences connect with human experiences, perspective and emotion.

The best content isn't always about what happened. It's about how people felt when it happened. That's why reaction videos continue to dominate social platforms and why creator content frequently outperforms traditional advertising.

And that's why some of the most memorable World Cup content has absolutely nothing to do with soccer. Unless you’re a huge soccer fan, then the game is where your focus will probably be.

The Real Winner Of The World Cup? Human Curiosity.

At Bennett Creative, we're having a blast following the World Cup.

We're soccer fans. We're marketers. We're content creators. So this World Cup has been a perfect intersection of everything we love.

The matches have been incredible. The energy at a watch party will turn you into a soccer fan even if you don’t understand the game. But the social media and marketing conversations happening outside the stadiums have been just as fascinating.

What we're witnessing isn't really a sports trend: It's a human trend.

People are curious about each other. They're curious about different cultures and about experiences they've never had. The World Cup simply creates the perfect environment for those stories to emerge.

As the World Cup continues, we'll undoubtedly see more videos about Buc-ee's, ranch dressing, oversized portions, giant highways, and all the wonderfully strange things that make America feel uniquely American.

And marketers should pay attention, because hidden inside those viral moments is a blueprint for modern content creation. Not polished perfection, not overly produced messaging or corporate jargon. Just genuine people experiencing something unexpected and sharing their reaction with the world.

Sometimes that's all great content needs to be. And judging by the millions of views these videos are generating, the internet agrees.