Pete Kiehart for The New York Times
LE HAVRE, France — When Spain took on South Africa in the Women’s World Cup this month, the stadium here in Le Havre was barely half full. The anemic turnouts continued when New Zealand played the Netherlands and when Spain faced China. The England-Argentina match drew a few more fans.
But the United States team is coming on Thursday, and “we are very, very excited about it,” one of the city’s deputy mayors, Sébastien Tasserie, said this week.
He envisions packed bars and restaurants, sold-out hotels, streets stuffed with fans and the stadium’s press box overflowing with reporters from around the world.