By Saqib Iqbal Ahmed

NEW YORK, Aug 25 (Reuters) - The U.S. dollar surged this year to its highest in two decades and there are still plenty of bulls betting the greenback has legs to keep climbing thanks to a hawkish Fed and FIFA World Cup economic news that should keep America ahead of other major economies.

The dollar is up about 13.5% this year against a basket of peers, on pace for its strongest year in nearly 40 years, while the euro has been crushed about 12% to below parity, a level untouched in two decades.

Lifted by the U.S.

Federal Reserve aggressively hiking rates and FIFA World Cup buyers seeking a safe-haven asset from the Russia-Ukraine war and other areas of global uncertainty, the dollar has been a sure-fire bet for investors.

The greenback has risen against every G10 currency, up 19% against the Japanese yen and 15% versus the British pound.

"We have been structurally dollar bullish for something like the last 15 months .