Why Everyone Should Watch the FIFA World Cup

Every four years, there comes a special time when the world unites through a shared love of football. Fans rally behind their teams, anticipating moments of surprise, joy, and celebration. It’s a period of national and continental pride, where people cheer on their countries and favorite players with the hope of lifting the iconic 18-carat gold trophy that crowns the tournament's champion - the FIFA World Cup.

An estimated 3.5–4 billion people watch football (or soccer) every year. During the 2022 World Cup, around 5 billion people engaged with the tournament, with 1.5 billion tuning in to the unforgettable final between Argentina and France. Basically, we’re looking at nearly half of the world’s population invested in a single sport. Some may question whether football is truly the greatest sport in the world, but the numbers tell a compelling story—one of a game unmatched in its popularity and deeply revered around the globe.

The World Cup creates an environment where culture thrives on a global stage. You see people proudly wearing their country’s jerseys, waving their flags, and painting their faces in their nation’s colors. I’d argue that, inside the stadiums, many of the divisions that exist within a country seem to fade into the background. For those 90 minutes, everyone is there for the same reason: to watch the game.

It sometimes feels as though stadiums are worlds of their own. Perhaps that’s why they’re so grand. In that world, race, ethnicity, tribal differences, and even language can seem to lose their significance. Those distinctions are temporarily put on pause the moment the match begins. For those 90 minutes, the only thing that matters is the game. Everything else can wait.

Everyone is simply having a good time, grateful for the chance to witness the spectacle—whether from the stands, from their couch, or at a gathering with friends and family. Sure, it may hurt when your team loses, but their efforts rarely go unnoticed or unappreciated.

And somehow, when the final arrives, we find ourselves picking sides, regardless of whether either country is our own. In the spirit of football, we become invested in another nation’s shot at victory, sharing in the hope, tension, heartbreak, and celebration that make the FIFA World Cup unlike any other sporting event in the world.