When the U.S. missed out on the 2018 World Cup, it was perceived as a major blow to the sport in this country and to Fox, who had paid $200 million for U.S. English-language broadcasting rights. All of that is still true, but maybe — just maybe — there is a way for USMNT fans to root on Christian Pulisic and company while Fox can try to compensate for the lost advertising revenue.

It’s simple: Hold a World Cup NIT.

The NIT is college basketball’s National Invitational Tournament, which is sarcastically dubbed the “Not In Tournament” because that’s what it is. It’s for teams that have missed the Big Dance, and this World Cup cycle has churned out an uncharacteristically stacked field that won’t be going to Russia.

Sure, there’s the USMNT. But there’s also Italy, who just missed the World Cup for the first time in 60 years. It doesn’t end there, though. Chile — the ninth-ranked team in the world and stacked with talent — failed to qualify out of CONMEBOL. Netherlands will miss the World Cup too after finishing third in 2014 and second at the 2010 World Cup. Cameroon, the current African champions, will also be staying home.

Throw in teams like Ghana, Czech Republic, Wales — with Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey — and the loser of Denmark-Ireland playoff, there is enough top-flight talent around to make an event worth watching happen. People are already asking for it.

So, how would it happen?

These matches would be hosted by the U.S. Soccer Federation at NFL and MLS stadiums. It would be a one-off event before the World Cup field expands in 2026. Similar to how the Copa America Centenario played out, the big-name matchups would still draw impressive crowds — even if these games don’t actually count for something. In the Copa America Centenario, the tournament averaged 46,370 fans per match. The star power of Lionel Messi, James Rodriguez and Alexis Sanchez was enough then. In this World Cup NIT, you’d have Pulisic, Bale, Sanchez, Vidal and Buffon. That’s enough talent to generate buzz.

With an endless list of venues capable of hosting soccer matches, scheduling theoretically wouldn’t be an issue. The infrastructure is in place as U.S. stadiums can host matches on little notice. Hold the championship at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium. They draw 71,000 for MLS regular season matches. There won’t be any reason to sweat about attendance for these hypothetical tournament organizers.

The time difference in Russia would give Fox an opportunity to show its wall-to-wall World Cup programming during the mornings and afternoons before transitioning over to NIT coverage in the evening. If not, ESPN — which lost out on the World Cup rights — could put its excellent soccer presentation to use and give viewers an opportunity to watch world-class soccer on U.S. soil. At worst, it’s a chance to promote the next era of American soccer and would serve as a measuring stick for the USMNT going forward.

We’ve already seen how the USSF at times favors business endeavors over soccer development. With a World Cup NIT, there would be plenty of money to be made and a chance to not waste an entire international cycle without meaningful competition. The nations missing out on the World Cup are all in the same boat: They’re disappointed, and they have free time.

Give the people what they want and make a World Cup NIT happen. After all, 2022 is a long time to wait.

Update: The Washington Post reported Tuesday that the USSF is trying to make the tournament happen.