The World Cup has 48 teams. Liberty has one champion

This summer, 48 teams from across the world are coming to North America to fight for the most important title in the world of soccer — or “football,” if you’re from one of the 130 countries that say it wrong.

The entire world will be glued to their screens to see if Messi’s Argentina will get his back-to-back, if Cristiano’s Portugal will get their first trophy, or if it’s time for Neymar’s Brazil to rule the soccer world once again.

There’s one global contest, however, that’s even more important than the World Cup — and that contest was won back in 1776.

In a world ruled by kings, emperors, and inherited privilege, America dared to declare something revolutionary: that our rights come from God, not the government.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.”

These words, and the principles they represent, continue to inspire people and nations around the world.

America is the undefeated world champion of liberty, and here’s why.

The Declaration that changed the game

Just as Pelé changed the game in his time, America helped change the course of history in 1776.

By that time, most of the world was ruled by kings, emperors, or powerful elites. The average person had little say in how they were governed. Rights were often viewed as privileges granted by those in power.

The Declaration of Independence, which our founding fathers approved on July 4, 1776, turned that old concept on its head.

It argued that political power comes from the people, that government exists to protect your natural rights, and that all men are indeed created equal.

Those ideas went global.

When independence movements swept through Latin America in the early 1800s, leaders like Simón Bolívar looked to the United States as evidence that independence was possible and self-government was achievable.

In Europe, revolutionary thinkers were influenced by many of the same Enlightenment ideas reflected in America’s Declaration of Independence. Nearly 250 years after that summer of 1776, countries around the world still speak the language of rights, liberty, constitutions, and self-government.

That’s the legacy of the American experiment.

The oldest, most stable constitution

Good teams come and go, but greatness is reserved only for the teams that stand the test of time.

The principles on which our country was founded are powerful in themselves, but their endurance makes them even more remarkable.

It’s been 250 years since we declared our independence, and it’s been almost 240 years since the Constitution was ratified.

Over the last two and a half centuries, countries around the world have rewritten constitutions, experienced coups, collapsed into civil conflict, or watched entire political systems disappear.

The United States has faced its share of challenges, too, but the same constitutional framework has survived wars, economic crises, and fierce political disagreements.

That’s because our Constitution wasn’t designed to create a powerful government.

It was designed to restrain one.

Checks and balances, separation of powers, and federalism all stem from a simple belief: Concentrated power is a threat to liberty.

Nearly 250 years later, that system is still protecting the freedoms of hundreds of millions of Americans.

A nation built on freedoms

Throughout history, millions of people from around the world have come to America, attracted by the liberties and freedoms it offers.

The freedom to speak without fear of government persecution, the freedom to practice your faith, the freedom to pursue opportunity, and the freedom to build a better life regardless of where you started.

That’s America.

While many countries protect individual rights, few have made liberty as central to their national identity as the United States.

For many Latino families, coming to America meant pursuing a new life rooted in freedom, opportunity, and self-determination.

Today, just as in 1776, America remains a shining light for freedom in the world.

Defending the title

Nearly 250 years later, nations around the world are still debating those principles, borrowing from them, and striving to live up to them.

Liberty isn’t a trophy that sits on a shelf forever. Every generation must protect it, strengthen it, and pass it on to the next.

That’s the challenge that comes with being the reigning champion.

This summer, one country will leave the tournament with the World Cup.

But when it comes to the global competition for liberty, America is still the team everyone else is chasing.

Now it’s your turn to be part of the team that’s keeping American liberties alive.

Take un pasito and help us protect the liberties that make the American Dream possible.