WORLD CUP WONDERS

Libby K. Hanaway
7 hours ago
11 min read

Hello fans and non-fans and all neutral parties! We are down to the final two matches, but World Cup Fever continues to heat up (and boy are they sweating today in Miami 😬). While I have not — confession —actually watched a whole entire WC match on TV, I've watched many random minutes and have — especially — paid close attention to the ancillary side stories, which are probably some of the best World Cup stories. There are so many! I’ve been bookmarking and texting myself FIFA-land snippets and scraps for several weeks now, and I'll try to highlight many of them here for a full souvenir cup of World Cup good.

One reason I have not watched a full World Cup match is that I didn't come primed with much professional soccer/football fan experience. I do not have a TEAM, a PLAYER, a LEAGUE, or a SPONSOR I've aligned with over the years. But I do have five useful points of soccer/football reference leading up to the 2026 FIFA World Cup:

In 1988, Rick spent a college semester in London. He was a very budget-bound young bloke, eating his weekly splurge of fish 'n' chips huddled outside in damp, drafty doorways because the food cost more to eat warmly inside. He lived with two fellow University of Iowa School of Journalism roommates in a drab flat in then-scruffy, scrappy Upton Park, home of West Ham United FC. He's been pulling for West Ham ever since!

In June 2006, newly-nine-year-old E latched on to Italy as her 2006 FIFA World Cup team, mainly because she had just taken an inexplicable interest in Italy as a country. As that year's World Cup was getting underway, we flew from Seattle to Chicago, then borrowed Rick's parents' gold Toyota Avalon for the drive to my parents' home in NW Arkansas and then onward to Table Rock Lake, MO. Just before we hit the road, E made a giant construction paper ⭐️🇮🇹⚽️ ITALIA!! ⚽️🇮🇹⭐️ banner for the car's rear window. The sign faded in the sun as we drove down and back, but E's commitment to the Italian team kept glowing.

Our trip coincided with E's birthday season, and after we arrived, my parents (meaning my mom) — as always — gave the perfect gift:

And the funniest part: Italy won the whole dang thing that year 🇮🇹.

My main visual and narrative understanding of World Cup soccer comes, of course, from the Quidditch World Cup:

I've also been influenced by the short but memorable Hanaway family amateur soccer era. I do not want to drag us off-track (offsides?) too early here, so you'll find that sideshow topic further down in the post.
And finally, long after our family's soccer-playing days, we kept the soccer spirit alive by attending one Seattle Sounders game each summer.

We were not die-hards with the clubby scarves and half of us knew nothing about the team at all, but the tradition and pageantry could easily flip a casual observer into a locked-in fan. The goosebumpiest part of the games was always the BOOM BOOM CLAP, the so-called Viking thunderclap tradition shared by other MLS teams but that Seattle, naturally, considers their very own.

As we jump into 2026 World Cup content, here's a soaring 2019 Seattle Sounders BOOM BOOM CLAP moment to spark the proper pumped-up spirit 🧢 ⚽️ 🧤:

[LANGUAGE NOTE: I'm mostly going with the word "soccer" in this post, but soccer v the more-internationally-common football is a high-intensity linguistic debate 🤓.]

THE FANS

While I'm not a fervent fan of any particular sports franchise, I do catch many sports stories via my tightly-curated Twitter feed (if you never update the app, you never have to call it X 😏). And that's where Twitter FreddyLA7 🇩🇪 came across my feed and scrolled into my life.

Throughout this 2026 World Cup, the incognito fan of Team Germany known only as "Freddy" has become a gung-ho tour guide throughout the southern, southeastern, and northeastern United States. Despite some mid-tournament pushback, over 762,000 Freddy fans currently follow along for his latest adventure. What will it be? A Waffle House in Georgia? A wildly-luxurious hotel suite stay gifted by JJ Watt ("I got you covered in Houston big dog")? Touring NASA with a bonus phone call to the International Space Station? A canceled flight sparking aid from all corners? Free tickets to an Ella Langley concert from Ella Langley herself? Like many other WC visitors, Freddy has been transfixed by the expansive, abundant, neighborly quirks and hallmarks of American life. His own stops seem to be EXTRA expansive, abundant, and neighborly — keep it going, Freddy 🚙.

I THINK IT'S WORTH THE MENTAL HEALTH RISK OF HOPPING ON TWITTER / X FOR FIVE MINUTES TO SCROLL THROUGH HIS POSTS*.

*NOTE: Some critics have suggested Freddy's whole schtick is a paid psyops. Unless I learn otherwise (please no!), I will continue to follow along for the ride 😀.

In addition to Freddy's nonstop adventures, a second fan-hood theme comes from team supporters bonding with host cities ... and host cities bonding with the fans. These are international love stories, truly. Two of the most celebrated:

The Algerians' open-armed welcome by Lawrence, KS, reported here and here and here.
The Scots' open-armed embrace of Boston reported here and here plus a traffic cone update here. Btw, I am part-Scot by heritage, and I reported my embrace of Boston here!

And finally, the fans of Norway scored major points for their cohesive, coordinated, all-out celebratory action. The now-famous Viking Row (click that link for a clever team photo) spontaneously formed on escalators, on streets, and in the stands. Also, Norway as a nation celebrated its team — after its extra-time quarterfinal loss to England — as if they were THE world champions. This was no piddly participation trophy parade: instead, the country pulled out all the stops to celebrate both its team's first WC appearance in 28 years AND the goodwill spread far and wide by friendly, exuberant Nordic fans.

THE ANIMALS (OF MEXICO)

Did you hear about Merlin the Duck? The very dapper international darling of a duck? Merlin belongs to a street beverage-vendor family in Mexico City and has catapulted to fame as a World Cup and Team Mexico ambassador, symbol, and breakout media star.

From the TODAY piece linked above (which includes a very funny video should you want more Merlin material):

"Social media users, charmed by his Team Mexico spirit, began sharing memes across the internet, often pairing them with the phrase “Viva El Pato,” which translates to “Long Live The Duck!”

🦆

Also joining the style-forward World Cup hype-team is Osito, the once-stray pup who rides on the back of his owner's bike, bringing joy, national pride, and celebrity magic to all in his path.

THE GEOGRAPHY

What is the World Cup if not one giant world geography lesson? To be honest, before July 3rd I did not know the location of Cape Verde/Cabo Verde ... and I was not alone. Lots of us were leaning into the TV or Google and learning together, a collective virtual classroom experience. And no shade to Team Argentina, but many viewers became impassioned Cape Verde fans in its unlikely, nearly-victorious underdog matchup.

The FIFA website has a detailed profile of each of the original 48 qualifying teams, but here's a shortcut list that will take you back and forth across the globe:

Argentina
Australia
Austria
Belgium
Bosnia & Herzegovina
Brazil
Canada
Cape Verde
Colombia
Congo DR
Croatia
Curaçao (FYI, in the U.S, it's pronounced "kyur-uh-SOU," which I also did not know. Just learned that it's an orange-peel liqueur from its namesake country, too 🍊🍹🍊.)
Czechia
Ecuador
Egypt
England
France
Germany
Ghana
Haiti
Iran
Iraq
Ivory Coast
Japan
Jordan
Mexico
Morocco
Netherlands
New Zealand
Norway
Panama
Paraguay
Portugal
Qatar
Saudi Arabia
Scotland
Senegal
South Africa
South Korea
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Tunisia
Türkiye
United States
Uruguay
Uzbekistan

So much geography! Learning about the diverse regions of the world is always interesting — and it may also provide a new edge in your daily crossword puzzle 🌎 🌍 🌏.

THE PLAYERS

It won't take long to Google a ranking of the greatest 2026 World Cup players as in TALENT, but today we are after some of the greatest as in HEART ... which often overlaps, as it has in the case of both Norway's Erling Haaland and Cape Verde's Vozinha.

Haaland is the player who looks like a mythical Norse god and has the nickname The Striking Viking (striking in both meanings of the word, I think). He's a dangerous, dominating machine while playing and a boundless puppy dog as soon as he's not. Back in April, I spotlighted performance expert Brad Stulberg and his play-the-game-in-front-of-you mentality here. (Btw, we still say that phrase all the time — it's just been that sort of household stretch.) In a recent post, Stulberg shares some fun-centric words about Haaland: (Click the "more" link, then scroll for full post)

You can read more about Haaland in this entertaining piece from the Associated Press. From it, a good-natured quote:

“I think it’s a good thing because I like the Americans. I think they are kind of hilarious as well. They are funny. I like the way they are,” he said. “I think it’s just good and honestly, on every single thing, the World Cup so far here has been amazing.”

🇳🇴

If Haaland is all Labrador energy, Josimar Jose Evora Dias – better known as Vozinha — is more like a quiet, steady sage. Vozinha is the Cape Verde goaltender ... who at 40 years old tracks an improbable story from limited footballing opportunity (working for a time as an electrician) to becoming a World Cup sensation after blocking 27 shots by Spain on June 15th ... and then electrifying fans in Cape Verde's near win v. Argentina on July 3rd. He's subdued and thoughtful in interviews — I want to lean in to hear what he's saying — and he's a walking advertisement for the power of work, perseverance, and audacious belief.

🇨🇻

SIDE STORY: HANAWAY SOCCER PLAYERS

Very tangential to the World Cup so feel free to skip — but soccer is soccer no matter the stage.

Though I only know soccer as a sideline spectator and team snack contributor, the other three in our family have had personal experience ON THE PITCH. They were no Haaland or Vohinza, but still.

Rick was #18 on our high school varsity soccer team; he was a left-wing forward, a self-described good / not-great player. We started dating after soccer season, so I'll have to take his word for it!

The girls followed Rick's path, with varying levels of commitment. C played on a team called the Pink Ladies, all chummy first-grade classmates. She scored in her first game ever, albeit in her own team’s net. She gave herself a little cheer and everyone just went along with it! Though she zipped and skipped up and down the field that season, I don’t think she made much meaningful ball contact; instead, she was there for the thrill of meeting up with her buddies in their snazzy uniforms plus the weekly smorgasbord of after-game snacks. It was 100% social for C, and when we moved to Iowa the next year, the social link was missing and thus the appeal. On (briefly) to ice skating!

I think C preferred being the little sister of E, who played soccer with the CrackerJacks from first through fourth grade. Several older sisters adopted C as their mascot during the Saturday morning games, braiding her hair and helping her find worms on the sidelines at massive Marymoor Park. Rick reffed many of those games with his lanyard-ed whistle, and the team — each girl from a different Eastside Seattle elementary school — was a tight unit. In extreme team allegiance, E wore her royal blue CrackerJacks pullover sweatshirt •nonstop• for over two years straight; it was her look. Meanwhile, Rick and I were the kind of soccer parents who privately cheered for the (rare) rained-out games but also had fun chatting with fellow parents on the sidelines. It was a formative experience for us all, and we still exchange holiday cards with two of the team families 🎄.

E’s soccer career came to a close after the Iowa move at the start of her 5th grade, when she was the very small, mild-mannered goalie on a suddenly-huge regulation-sized field. The field went on for miles. The net was the size of a small house. And let’s just say E did not handle the stress of the clutch goalie position very well; every pre-game Saturday morning was a mostly-miserable high-anxiety household scene, and I have had sympathy for goalies (and their parents) ever since. After limping through the season just as many of her old teammates moved on to elite-league glory, E gladly traded her cleats for ballet shoes, thus ending the Hanaway soccer era.

AND NOW BACK TO WORLD CUP COVERAGE ➡️ ⚽️

THE SPIRIT

We live near Denver, a city that did not host any World Cup matches; beyond mass retailer marketing efforts, you had to seek out a watch party to catch the vibe. But in host cities, the scenes were authentically electric. The closest we got to any actual buzz was an overnight stay in suburban Kansas City on June 26th, and I've got to say, the Springhill Suites in Overland Park / Leawood scored lots of points with all the hoopla greeting guests. Algeria and Austria were meeting up the following night at Arrowhead Stadium, and the hotel was packed with fans — most visibly pre-teen boys giddily riding up and down the elevators in drippy swimsuits. Strangers struck up easy lobby conversations, the free breakfast space overflowed, and there was a palpable positive energy up and down the four floors. As we turned in our keycards the following morning, I looked around and realized this Marriott was actually just a cleaner / brighter / better climate-controlled / yet still exuberant Quidditch World Cup campground.

Even for a marginally-engaged observer like me, the World Cup has energized Summer 2026 with epic stories, global friendships, striking athleticism, and two very well-dressed celebrities 🦆 🐶. Which reminds me: at our next celebratory occasion, I will be trying out my new favorite toast:

"VIVA EL PATO / LONG LIVE THE DUCK!!"

EXTRA GOOD

ALSO LINKED THROUGH THE EXTRA GOOD PAGE HERE

SATURDAY, JULY 18, 2026

1._GOOD SPORTS: This is fantastic. A group of elder women in rural Kenya have been cheering on the region's young footballers ... and then they realized they would like to become footballers themselves. And so they started up their own league, and the residual effects are ⚽️ 🙌 ⚽️. Now they would like their own World Cup. WHY NOT?!

Click below for a quick, awesome news video from the Associated Press. (NOTE: We need immediate, wholesale adoption of the term "grand women." It's just ... GRAND!)

Grandmothers in Kenya Ask For a Soccer World Cup to Compete In

"We come together, we pray together, we play together, we sing, we laugh together. By the time you go home, the stress is uplifted, you are feeling good about yourself."

Amen ⚽️ Amen

2._MORE GOOD SPORTS: For another women-in-sports story, this one timed for release during just-completed Wimbledon 2026, you might consider the new Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova Netflix documentary, Chris & Martina: The Final Set. Unlike some of my previous viewing recommendations, I HAVE actually watched this before endorsing (last night!) and was hooked into the power of their long-intertwined stories, shifting them from friendly-to-fierce tennis competitors in the 1970s-80s to now fiercely loyal companions in their mutual fights with cancer. It's an affecting (though not always warm+fuzzy) story of an unlikely yet powerfully-sustaining friendship. Lots of historical and personal context, too!

Here's a preview:

(I loved any of their scenes sitting together on the couch, watching old matches or just talking like old friends)

🎾 🫶 🎾

3._GOOD-NATURED: THE GOAT of goats 🏆! You might know that Colorado — among many U.S. states and provinces of Canada — is currently battling numerous drought-fueled wildfires at the same time. The air here — like many places this week — is tinder-dry and smokey, and the news can feel grim. But there's one small, joy-giving hero in this statewide story: Goldie the Goat.

For many days this past week, Goldie was sometimes-leading / sometimes-following firefighters battling the Rock Creek Fire near Cheyenne Mountain in El Paso County (now — glad to report — 100% contained). Goldie accompanied firefighting teams over the rugged mountainous terrain, boosting morale and usefully chomping through foliage. As many news reports noted: "She understood the assignment."

Watch for the Goldie-following-the-truck scene 🤩:

Saluting both the courage and fortitude of our firefighters and the loyal tenacity of Goldie the Goat!

🫡 👩‍🚒 🐐👩‍🚒🫡