The Real Reason the World Cup Matters

I grew up playing football — the American version. Like many kids in the United States, my sports calendar revolved around Friday night lights, college football Saturdays, and NFL Sundays. Soccer occupied a much smaller corner of my world. I had heard it described as the world's game, but it took me years to understand why billions of people cared so deeply about it.

That changed in the summer of 2010 while I was studying abroad in Greece during the FIFA World Cup. Every match was shown in the town square, and hours before kickoff people would begin gathering around outdoor screens. Families, young people, older people, locals, and visitors from around the world all found their way to the same place. For a month, the town square became the center of the community. People who spoke different languages sat shoulder to shoulder. Some arrived wearing jerseys while others simply came to be part of the atmosphere. Conversations started naturally. Strangers celebrated together. Heartbreak was shared together. For a few hours at a time, everyone seemed connected by something larger than themselves. I had never experienced anything quite like it. What stayed with me wasn't a particular goal, match, or player. It was the gathering itself. The World Cup transformed a collection of individuals into a community. Sixteen years later, that's still what stands out to me most.

Every four years, the World Cup brings together billions of people from different countries, cultures, faiths, and backgrounds. Very few events operate on that scale. Even fewer create the kind of connection that follows. The tournament gives people a reason to gather, participate, and share an experience with others, whether they're packed into a stadium, gathered around a television, or watching from a town square halfway around the world.

We often celebrate sports for the competition, excellence, and drama they provide. Over time, though, I've come to appreciate another reason sports matter: they bring people together. For a few hours, differences fade into the background as fans rally around a common experience. People who might never cross paths otherwise can cheer for the same team, celebrate the same goal, and feel connected to something larger than themselves. The World Cup may be the clearest expression of that idea. At a time when so much attention is focused on division, the tournament creates opportunities for connection. Fans who disagree on politics, religion, or countless other issues can still stand side by side and share a moment of joy. Shared experiences have a way of reminding us that we have more in common than we sometimes realize.

Recently, I spoke with professional soccer player Noah Adnan about the connective power of the game. Having played with teammates from around the world, Noah has experienced firsthand how soccer creates relationships that might never have existed otherwise. As he reflected on his career, one observation stood out: "You'll see people become teammates before knowing each other's names."

It's a simple idea, but it captures something profound about the game. Over the course of his career, Noah has shared locker rooms with players from Egypt, Colombia, Nigeria, Brazil, France, the Philippines, Peru, and beyond. They competed together, won and lost together, shared meals together, and built friendships that extended far beyond the field. "Without soccer," he told me, "all of these people would have been total strangers."

One of Noah's favorite memories involves a Peruvian teammate who spoke almost no English. The two connected through a simple two-touch juggling game familiar to soccer players everywhere. Communication came through broken English, broken Spanish, body language, and plenty of laughter. Over time, a friendship formed. Noah learned about his teammate's upbringing and picked up a few Spanish phrases, while his teammate developed a newfound appreciation for Usher and Ne-Yo. Stories like that help explain why soccer is often called the world's game. The sport creates opportunities for people to connect long before they share a language, a culture, or a common history.

Those experiences feel increasingly important today. Many people report feeling disconnected from their neighbors, communities, and institutions. Genuine opportunities for connection can feel harder to find. Sports continue to create spaces where people gather, participate, and share experiences together, and nowhere is that more evident than during the World Cup. The tournament plays out on a global stage, but its impact is felt locally. It shows up in neighborhood bars, community watch parties, living rooms, and public squares. It appears in conversations between strangers wearing the same colors and in the joy of celebrating a goal with someone you've never met before. Those moments may seem small, but they remind us that connection often begins with something simple: showing up and sharing an experience with other people.

Today, as the opening match kicks off, billions of people will participate in one of the largest shared experiences on the planet. The games will capture our attention, but the tournament also offers an opportunity to connect with the people around us. Attend a local watch party. Invite neighbors over for a match. Strike up a conversation with someone wearing a soccer jersey. High-five a stranger after a goal.

Eventually, a champion will be crowned and the tournament will come to an end. The memories that endure may have less to do with the final standings and more to do with the people we shared the experience with. Sixteen years after that summer in Greece, I've come to believe that the game's greatest contribution isn't measured on a scoreboard. It's found in the connections it creates, the common ground it reveals, and the common good that follows.

— Adam DeVon Miller

Adam DeVon Miller is the founder of Good Game, a nonprofit that connects professional athletes to causes they care about. A former college football player and lifelong sports fan, he believes sport's greatest impact is found beyond the scoreboard, in the connections it creates and the common good that follows. Follow him on LinkedIn.