In a world where political debates, public outrage, and international tensions are always in the headlines, it is no surprise that people try to find outlets where they can just forget about what’s going on in the world. From tv shows, to celebrity gossip, and even sports, everyone just wants a bit of fun entertainment without the added pressure of their own reality. This past summer that was the FIFA World Cup.
For the first time since 1994, the U.S. was chosen to be a host country for the tournament along with Canada and Mexico. Fans from all over the world flocked to America for the chance to represent their teams in person and the people of the United States were granted the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to bond with people from other countries in the comfort of their own cities.
It was a period of unity like our country had never seen before. People were dancing in the streets after their team won and held each other after a particularly bad loss. No one could leave their homes without seeing at least a few people in their team’s jersey. Several different news reports called it the closest thing we’ve had to world peace. Now, that statement made me pause and think for a long time.
Why don’t we already have world peace when this is what it looks like when the people of different nations come together for something as small as a sports tournament?
The answer is our governments. Politicians use scare tactics, restrictive policies, and blatant hostility to change our perspectives of other countries. They have conditioned us to see different nations as threats to our lives because they would rather fight for power and domination than bring the people of the world together.
This is exactly why the FIFA World Cup is such a powerful message in itself. Despite our governments trying to control us and change narratives, everyone chose to come together and simply share their love for the game with one another.Â
Obviously the World Cup didn’t grant us permanent world peace, but it showed people that it is possible. It proved that we don’t have to view each other as threats. We can just exist and come together as one even despite our cultural differences. The problem is not the people living in other nations, but rather the governments leading them.Â
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will forever serve as a reminder that we do not have to remain divided. We do not have to let our government shape our perspectives of other countries or allow them to have so much power over us. At the end of the day, we are all human and sometimes it only takes something as simple as a soccer game to remind us.