A German soccer fan who built a massive online following documenting his cross-country trip during the 2026 FIFA World Cup has named Fairhope his favorite stop in the United States.
The fan, who posts under the handle FreddyLA7 on the social media platform X, spent six weeks traveling the country this summer alongside the World Cup, chronicling his impressions of American culture along the way. Freddy, who has kept his real identity private, has drawn more than 762,000 followers documenting the trip.
In a July 27 post made after returning home to Germany, Freddy singled out the Eastern Shore city for special praise. “Because many people have been asking us about it: our favorite states from the trip were Tennessee, Alabama and Texas,” he wrote. “Our favorite town was Fairhope, Alabama, and our favorite food spot was Taco Bell.”
Freddy stayed one night in Fairhope while driving to Houston to catch Germany’s World Cup match against Curaçao. During his stop, he posted video driving along Mobile Bay, giving his followers a glimpse of the sunset views the city is known for.
Fairhope has long drawn visitors and new residents for its bluff-top bay views, walkable downtown and small-town character, and Freddy’s post gave that reputation an international audience this summer. His account has become something of a running travelogue of American culture as seen through a first-time visitor’s eyes, mixing World Cup coverage with observations about food, small towns and road-trip stops across the country.
Freddy isn’t done with the U.S. He said he plans to return later this year for a fall road trip built around college football season, with stops planned at Oktoberfest in Helen, Georgia, the Texas State Fair and the Breeders’ Cup horse racing series. Whether Fairhope makes a return appearance on his itinerary remains to be seen.