What Watching The World Cup Has Taught Me About My Post-Grad Journey

You can’t go anywhere this summer without being inundated with World Cup content. And yet somehow — amid all the noise of cheers, boos, groans, and angry yelling at the referees during World Cup watch parties — I’ve found a decent amount of quietude to reflect. It turns out, this year’s matches mean more to me than just athletes attempting to kick a ball into a net more times than their opponents, which isn’t something I expected when I first started watching. 

To be candid, I really thought I’d be attending watch parties to socialize more than to spectate. I’d been thoroughly loving all the memes about Europeans discovering ranch dressing and all the blokette outfit inspiration posted online, but that was about the extent of my knowledge of the World Cup heading into this season. Since it started, though, I’ve witnessed some inspiring feats on the pitch, the beauty of coming together to celebrate diversity, and our communal enduring love for underdogs. 

I’ve also discovered some surprising overlaps between the experiences of these elite male athletes whose languages I often can’t speak and those of a recent graduate constantly trying to figure out what comes next (aka, me). It might not seem like there’s much overlap, but trust me, I’m finding it. Here are a few of the important lessons I’ve taken from the 2026 World Cup and how I’m going to apply them to my own goals.

You’re probably not as behind as you think.

Scotland’s goalkeeper, 43-year-old Craig Gordon, is both the oldest athlete in the World Cup and the oldest player to ever represent Scotland (and he’s not shy about discussing how close he was to retiring before this tournament). Despite having started his career in his 20s, he’s only represented the country three times due to a long and difficult injury history. Notably, that third time was the match that qualified Scotland for the World Cup this year – the first time the country’s made it in 28 years. Shortly after that match, he also pulled off the best save of his career. 

Gordon’s story is a clear reminder that you’re never too old to achieve your dreams. I’m not going to sugar-coat it, because Gordon certainly doesn’t: It might cost a bit more and it might be a bit harder than it would be at another stage in your life, depending on what the goal is. But it’s not impossible. 

This one was especially personal to me as an athlete who started a sport (fencing) much later in my life than my peers did. While my classmates, who are currently applying to colleges, started as children and now hold national ranks, I didn’t really make any headway into the sport until after I graduated with my master’s. I constantly felt like I was falling behind whenever I hopped on a strip with them, but stories like Gordon’s reduce that sense of isolation.

So, if you feel like you’re behind on certain milestones — maybe your dream job seems like it’s slipping away while you do desk work at your entry-level one, or you’re watching your peers move out of their parents’ home and build a family while you’re in your childhood bedroom — remember that there’s no one timeline for things to happen. 

But you’re also never too young to make a difference.

Being new to the workforce is an interesting position to be in because you’re often one of the youngest people in the room — and it’s hard not to feel a little overlooked because of that. But the World Cup is a fantastic example of how there is no right age to achieve your dreams. In contrast to Gordon, the youngest player in this year’s tournament is 17-year-old Gilberto Mora, representing the Mexican team, which recently pulled off an incredibly daunting challenge to England’s team in the round of 16. He hadn’t even walked the stage for his high school graduation when he became the youngest player to ever represent Mexico’s senior men’s soccer team — if that’s not inspo to go for what you want, despite feeling out of your depth, I don’t know what is. 

Experience isn’t the only determinant of success.

Some of the smallest teams made the biggest splashes at this year’s World Cup. Cape Verde made its World Cup debut this year and had longtime powerhouse Argentina sweating in their round of 32 matchup on July 3, pushing them into an extra time period to break a 2-2 tie.

Curaçao, another team that participated in its first World Cup this year, made a record 15 saves against Ecuador, keeping the score tied at 0-0. And while that’s impressive on its own, what you might not know is that just six days before, the same goalkeeper lost seven goals to Germany. Six days couldn’t have completely flipped his physical skillset and endurance, but it certainly could make a difference in other key performance tools, like resilience, optimism, and determination. 

The same can be said for life outside of the stadium: You can only build experience day by day, but you can work on your ability to take on challenges and recover from setbacks more quickly. After all, the greater the fall, the greater the potential for a comeback. 

A fight’s not over until it’s actually over.

Similar to the last point, a defeat is often more psychological than it is physical. How many times have you assumed that you were going to fail at something? I’m guessing at least a couple times; it’s a completely natural way to protect yourself from the hurt of disappointment. But it’s also a way to give up and subconsciously stop yourself from giving it your all. 

This year’s Round of 32 is a good indicator of that: Paraguay tied up a match with Germany 1-1, and then beat the team by a singular penalty shot. For reference, before the 2026 World Cup, the German team was ranked No. 12 in the world, while the Paraguayan team was ranked No. 37. On paper, this should have been an easy win, but that’s clearly not something Paraguay internalized heading into this matchup. What are you talking yourself out of accomplishing before you even try? You can’t know the outcome unless you — forgive the pun — shoot your shot.

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