The four-year countdown has finally reached zero. On 11 June, the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicked off its opening match – Mexico vs South Africa – in Mexico City. For the first time in history, the tournament is co-hosted by three nations, the United States, Canada and Mexico, with matches played across 16 cities.

The five-week tournament brings a record-breaking 48 national teams from every corner of the globe to participate in a total of 104 matches, with the final played in the US, in New Jersey, on 19 July.

For those new to football, the tournament consists of two stages: the group stage and the knockout stage. In the group stage, teams are divided into 12 groups of four countries. The teams within each group play against each other, receiving 3 points for a win, 1 point for a tie, 0 points for a loss. The two teams with the highest points from each group plus eight of the best-performing third-place teams (32 in all) advance to the knockout stage.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Harbingers’ Magazine (@hrb.mag)

The knockout stage is as it sounds. If a match is still tied after 90 minutes, the teams play an extra 30 minutes. If it is still tied, a penalty shootout determines who comes out victorious. The losing team is eliminated while the winning team moves on to the next stage until there are just two teams left.

Now, putting the game of football aside, the main reason for the World Cup’s popularity is the thrill, spectacle, suspense and heartbreak that comes with supporting your country or team.

For me, growing up with a British dad meant being immersed in football culture from a young age, whether it was supporting our club, Liverpool, or cheering on the England team. He made sure that football became a tradition in our household. Some of my core childhood memories are tied to moments in a game: celebrating last-minute winners, or watching nerve-wrecking penalty shoot-outs.

After a devastating loss in the Euro 2024 finals, England is in need of redemption. England hasn’t lifted the World Cup for 60 long years, and it’s about time that football’s coming home. In previous tournaments, we have gone far and, with a talented squad, anything is possible. For me, supporting England goes beyond the scoreboard; it’s about carrying on family traditions and embracing my national pride.

However, this is just one perspective. The meaning of the World Cup changes across borders. To get more insight, I asked some of my fellow Harbingers’ Magazine colleagues, Mutaz Sameh from Egypt, Malena Troncoso Sarni from Argentina, Sofia Vorobei from Spain and Sara from Afghanistan – to share what the World Cup means to them.

National pride and family traditions

My Harbingers’ colleagues agree on one thing: the sense of national pride that the World Cup brings to their country.

When Malena recalls Argentina winning their third World Cup, defeating France 4–2 on penalties in 2022, she vividly remembers seeing millions of fans gathered in the streets of Buenos Aires. “The whole country was united, and nobody did anything but celebrate,” she says.

Similarly, in Spain, Sofia observes that “the excitement around the World Cup is on another level – people really follow every match and it becomes a big national event.”

However, pride is not only defined by winning, it also fuels resilience and strength. Egypt has historically been unlucky with qualifying for the World Cup. “But one thing was certain,” Mutaz claims. “The highs and lows are what make a team stronger. I think Egypt are assembling a battle-hardened team ready to take on anything.”

Global unity

Transcending physical borders, we can all agree that the World Cup unites people. Sara describes the tournament’s ability to unify people all over the world as “inspiring”, noting “it is beautiful and heartwarming to know that people from diverse backgrounds and regions set their differences aside to watch the athletes represent them.”

She concludes: “This gives football meaning beyond being an entertaining game; it becomes a universal language of hope.”

This sense of global unity extends to everyday experiences. Sofia says that watching the World Cup with friends and classmates, all supporting different home teams, makes watching the games more exciting and an experience that she is looking forward to this summer.

When the final whistle blows on 19 July, the confetti, celebrations and tears mark the end of the tournament, but not our memories. In the end, the World Cup is more than victory. It is about belonging and connection. It is about the way it can bridge borders, making our world feel a little smaller but more together.