Sports is the most popular form of entertainment all over the globe, and this year, it got even more speculation and fans through the largest FIFA World Cup to ever take place; 48 countries, 16 host cities, 6 million attendees, and billions watching from home. Even those who weren’t frequent sports watchers joined in on the excitement and tension in the air. If that doesn’t seem large enough, this event made a record-shattering revenue of $15 billion. Tournament hype was created through media, educational tools like Duolingo (during their independent and exclusive DuoCup, a limited time event for learners to earn jersey’s for their avatars), and advertising.
Personally, my own football stanning began during the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, where I watched a few of the matches. After that, I watched parts of CopaAmerica and EuroCup, but nothing major. This year, when FIFA announced the host cities, I was ecstatic; Dallas?! The stadium was less than an hour away from my home! The biggest personalities and football players would be in my city this summer! The chance to go to a match would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but the chance was honestly, pretty low. Ticket prices were sky-high, and who knows if good teams are going to play here? But it was alright, because I deeply enjoyed watching all the matches on TV.
One ordinary Sunday night, I was cleaning my room (it looked extreemly hazardous), when my mom called me out. She asked me, “if we could get tickets to the Spain vs France match on Tuesday, would you go?”. My eyes widened, my thoughts zooming around my mind. The obvious answer to that question was, of course, absolutely! Two of the best teams playing in my city; who would want to miss out on that chance?
Pre-Game Experience
Tuesday, July 14th, 2026, 12:17 pm; we reach the parking. Cars were coming in, and I could feel the excitment radiating off every fan. People from all over the world, connecting through football in my city sounded impossible, but here I was. My parents and I walked with the growing crowds, which were surprisingly managed extreemly well through the many entrances and floors. We took pictures, scanned our tickets, and went inside.
I’m glad that I arrived 2 hours prior to the game, because there is so much pre-game entertainment for everyone; grab some food and drinks, explore the stadium, watch the famous Dallas Cheerleaders perform, take photos, and even shoot your shot at getting caught on camera showing your team spirit on the videoboard. Even if you’re not supporting a team and are just there for the excitement, there is still so much to enjoy!
The Game
After the national anthems, the game began. This experienced surprised me the most, because the stadium was so much calmer and quieter than expected. People only cheered when their country got the ball or scored a goal. Otherwise, everyone was seated and quiet, despite the stadium being completely packed. I was supporting France (of course, not as much as the French fans), but I was competely stunned by the way they were playing. In the past, I have observed that the entire team is very syncronized, and I would expet them to play as well, if not better than during the last World Cup, where they won. But Spain was playing with such smoothness, clarity, and energy, France had no chance.
Some of the things during the in person match that was competely different from watching on TV really added to the experience. First, there was no commentary. On TV, the commentary adds excitement and takes away the tension. But when the packed stadium is silent, it really adds to the stress and fear of not knowing what’s going to happen next or what others are thinking. Second, on TV, the players feel so far away and confident, but in the stadium, it doesn’t seem like they’re big celebrities; they seem just as scared as us, but they persevere through the heat of the game.
The After-Game
Even through France didn’t win, all I really cared about was the experience of watching the World Cup semi-finals, experiencing the ups and downs of the crowds energy, and simply enjoying the game.
Almost 2 weeks later were the finals, which I watched on TV. Spain vs Argentina was very heated. I honestly wasn’t sure of what to think about either teams: I thought that maybe Spain had won against France because France just didm’t play as well as they could. Argentina has had many ups and downs this year; Capo Verde almost defeated them, but Argentina always trailed ahead of the opposition during the final chance (for example against Egypt). Sadly, I didn’t get to watch after the 80th minute, but I think that Spain deserved the cup this year; as they played extraordinarily compared to the other teams. They definitely prepared to crush the opponents this year.
When the 2030 FIFA World Cup will take place, I/ll be going to 12th grade, probably too busy to watch the games again. I’m glad I got to enjoy my last summer of middle school before life gets crazy. Moments like these are rare; a summer day watching a major football game with my family in my own city doesn’t happen all the time. So, it’s important to always be in the present, because it will never repeat itself.