NEW ORLEANS — FIFA officials and professional soccer great Sami Khedira are in New Orleans for Super Bowl Week to kick it.
Their goal is to let people know that after football takes center stage, another sport kicks it into high gear.
"Maybe the two biggest sporting events in this global world," Khedira told reporters while in New Orleans.
Everybody here in the U.S. knows what a Super Bowl means. World Cup leaders say FIFA 2026 will be the equivalent of a Super Bowl, and then some.
For those who remember the frenzy the NFL Draft brought to Kansas City, FIFA leaders say it'll be 10 times the hoopla, which is why Khedira and soccer officials are spending Super Bowl week making the media rounds, assisting, and making the pitch.
Both Kansas City and Philadelphia are host cities for the World Cup, as is the Bay Area, which is the site for Super Bowl LX.
"We have a lot of similarities about our sports," Khedira said. "It's a lot of emotions, and what makes it special are the fans, because if you are going to empty stadiums and not following on social media, the sports are a bit boring."
Khedira is a very accomplished athlete and a World Cup Champion, so KSHB 41 asked him who his favorite football and futbol players were, and of course, he went with the best of the best.
"Patrick Mahomes. Obviously. He's a great guy. But I also watched Saquon Barkley. He’s a machine," Khedira said. "On the other hand, I'm going with Cristiano Ronaldo. He's one of the biggest legends in our sport."
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