The 2026 FIFA World Cup has begun – for the first time with 48 teams, hosted in the USA, Canada, and Mexico. As the German newspaper “Zeit” reports in its column “Grünfläche,” the tournament is seen by many as a symbol of FIFA’s megalomania and greed. But the author sees another, more important value: the encounter with unknown nations and cultures.
For the columnist, the World Cup is a journey back to his own childhood. He remembers Kuwait in 1982, Zaire and Haiti in 1974 – countries he looked up in the encyclopedia back then. Now, 52 years later, Haiti and the Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire) are back, joined by newcomers like Jordan, Cape Verde, or Uzbekistan. “The true value of a World Cup does not begin with the quarterfinals,” he writes, “but with the new, unusual encounters on and off the pitch.”
Criticism of the bloated number of participants is loud, but the author explicitly thanks FIFA for this expansion. It allows us to look beyond the European horizon and celebrate football as a universal language of exchange. Despite controversies and entry restrictions, the tournament promises colorful diversity and human exuberance – a celebration with shadows and moments of glory.
Source: www.zeit.de
