New Jersey Woman Shares Her Dad’s Elaborate World Cup Prep: ‘Don’t Sleep on the Stars and Stripes This Year’

Soccer fans only have once every four years to jump for joy for the FIFA World Cup. But a New Jersey dad’s preparation for the event is unlike any other, and his daughter, Alyssa Cronin (@alyssacronin13), shared his elaborate process on TikTok.

“I’m like a World Cup maestro,” Cronin’s dad said. Affectionately called “Kickball Dad” online, the man is known to share his love of soccer on TikTok. But even then, it was still a surprise to many social media users to see him pull out two white boards, a meter stick, and a marker.

“I’ve been making these boards for 20 years,” he revealed. Kickball Dad uses one of the whiteboards to keep track of all the teams’ group stage schedules and another to document the points each team scores. Most soccer fans would turn to a news site. There are also online trackers used by fans to check the progress of their favorite teams. But Kickball Dad’s dedication is in a different league.

The most dedicated soccer fan

He also brought out his 2022 World Cup decorations in the living room. Kickball Dad carried out the signature 2022 Qatar FIFA World Cup official match ball. It was encased in a glass box, paired with a stand featuring Lionel Messi. This seems to be one of his prized possessions.

In a separate video, Cronin showed a clip of her dad debating whether he’d get the match ball with Messi’s stand at $164.99 in 2022. Now that the stand is back on display in the living room with the updated 2026 match ball, it seems that Kickball Dad made a worthwhile investment.

It doesn’t end there. He put out soccer magazines on the coffee table, a mini and a jumbo Trionda, all for display.

But Cronin also showed a package that came in the mail for her dad. As he was unboxing it, he thought that it was a “World Cup release.” He was surprised to see that it was a USA jersey numbered 26, with “Kickball Dad” written at the back. No setup is complete without the right fit.

“Don’t sleep on the stars and stripes this year,” he said—clearly, he’s Team USA through and through.

Kickball Dad to watch the FIFA World Cup live

By the end of it, Kickball Dad had a setup that could impress any other soccer fan. Kickball Dad’s setup seems to have also won over the internet, with people on TikTok admiring his level of dedication as a soccer fan.

One commenter said, “OK, he is the only US fan that I accept as a real soccer fan. Way to go soccer dad.”

Another wrote, “Words can’t describe how badly I wanna hang out with this guy.”

Someone else said, “SOMEONE GET THIS MAN TO THE WORLD CUP!! HE NEEDS TO SEE IT LIVE!” Because clearly, Kickball Dad needs to see his favorite teams play live. In a recent update, Cronin revealed that they’d planned a surprise for their dad to see France vs. Senegal live.

“We’re going to go to this match?” He almost couldn’t believe it when he saw the tickets. Funnily enough, he even asked, “Wait, how are we getting there?”

Getting there might not even be his biggest problem. If he sees the giant Trionda, the whole family might not be able to hold him back from taking it home.

(featured images: alyssacronin13)

Have a tip we should know? [email protected]