We’re well into the 2026 FIFA World Cup now, and more than half of the tournament’s 48 teams have already headed home after being eliminated in the group stage and knockout rounds. While these nations’ North American adventures are over, you can always be a winner by treating yourself to dishes from World Cup qualifiers big and small. (We’ll focus on recent Scene features to cast a smaller net.) Uzbekistan, for example, made its World Cup debut this year, but Nashvillians may already be familiar with dishes like plov and jiz-biz thanks to Thompson Lane’s Osh. For fans of Egypt’s Pharaohs, Galilee serves both forward Mo Salah’s beloved koshary and Best of Nashville-winning pita. La Cucharita offers affordable Colombian food that’s a perfect pairing for a James Rodriguez through ball, and The Iberian Pig has desserts so good they might make you feel less bad about the fact that Spain’s Lamine Yamal is much more accomplished than you at just 18 years old. Best of Nashville 2025 is chock-full of recommendations for Japanese (Kase x Noko, Babychan, 888, Sushi | Bar), Mexican (Alebrije, Maíz de la Vida) and Turkish (the always reliable Edessa) food, and you could always just say “I’m doing this in honor of Christian Pulisic” while chowing down on [insert your favorite burger/barbecue/fried chicken place here].
Through July 19 across Nashville
