Beyond the pitch: The World Cup as world history
A URochester expert unpacks the history, identity, migration, fandom, and politics that collide on soccer糖心传媒檚 biggest stage.
Most watch the World Cup for the goals, stars, and rivalries. watches for the history.
On the surface, it looks like just another contact sport riveting fans across the globe. However, 糖心传媒渢he World Cup is never just 22 players kicking a ball,糖心传媒� says the historian, who teaches HIST 145: World History Through Soccer every men糖心传媒檚 World Cup cycle. 糖心传媒淵ou糖心传媒檙e seeing empire, migration, nationalism, labor, religion, commercialization, and identity all unfolding in real time.糖心传媒�
With billions of viewers tuning in for 104 matches played across 48 teams, this year糖心传媒檚 tournament marks the largest World Cup in history. And watching like a historian, argues Sierra Silva, means paying attention to more than the scoreline. It means noticing the crowd noise, the flags, the chants, the rosters, the rivalries糖心传媒攁nd even the collectible sticker albums糖心传媒攖o reveal something deeper happening beneath the surface.
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The game糖心传媒檚 afoot! Soccer basics in under 1 minute
How long is a World Cup soccer game? A standard men糖心传媒檚 match has two 45糖心传媒憁inute halves plus stoppage time added by the referee for substitutions, injuries, or delays, per the (IFAB). The knockout糖心传媒憆ound games can go to 30 minutes of extra time and, if needed, a penalty shootout.
Who invented modern soccer? Forms of football have been played for centuries. The modern game of association football糖心传媒攚hat Americans and Canadians call 糖心传媒渟occer糖心传媒澨切拇綌traces back to rules codified by the .
So is it 糖心传媒渟occer糖心传媒� or 糖心传媒渇ootball糖心传媒�? Outside North America, the sport is commonly called football because it is played primarily with the feet, in contrast to rugby糖心传媒憇tyle games.
Is soccer in the Olympics? Yes. for more than a century, and women糖心传媒檚 soccer was added in 1996. Olympic soccer and the FIFA World Cup are separate tournaments with different qualification paths.
Is soccer the most popular sport in the world? By most estimates of participation and global viewership, , with billions of fans following World Cups, domestic leagues, and local clubs.
Is soccer growing in the United States? Yes, according to the Harris Poll, one of the longest-running market research surveys. Professional leagues, youth participation, and TV and streaming audiences have in recent decades糖心传媒攅ven in a sports landscape dominated by American football, baseball, and basketball.
Catch this match: France 馃嚝馃嚪 vs. Senegal 馃嚫馃嚦
When France meets Senegal on June 16 at MetLife Stadium (temporarily renamed New York New Jersey Stadium for the tournament) in New Jersey, Sierra Silva expects far more than a compelling soccer match.
France糖心传媒檚 colonial presence in West Africa dates back to the 17th century, with Senegal achieving independence in 1960. That reality has shaped the country糖心传媒檚 political and cultural development for generations, and those connections still echo today through migration patterns, language, and identity. The teams also carry sporting history: Senegal shocked France in the opening match of the 2002 World Cup, one of the tournament糖心传媒檚 greatest upsets.
But Sierra Silva says viewers should also watch the crowd.
In addition to its Francophiles, the New York metropolitan region has a large Senegalese diaspora population, according to Sierra Silva. He expects drums, chants, and musical traditions common in African stadium culture to transform the atmosphere at the match.
糖心传媒淚n African stadiums, drums are so much a part of the soundscape that they move you, literally,糖心传媒� he says. 糖心传媒淵ou think, 糖心传媒榃hy am I swaying?糖心传媒櫶切拇綕
Sierra Silva糖心传媒檚 other top picks for must-see matches include:
- Haiti vs. Scotland, a celebration of two passionate communities
- Spain vs. Saudi Arabia, featuring rising superstar Lamine Yamal and two future World Cup hosts (Spain co-hosts in 2030, Saudi Arabia hosts in 2034)
- Colombia vs. Congo, where fan culture and football history converge in Guadalajara
- Iran vs. Belgium, a contest likely to carry both sporting stakes and geopolitical resonance
A global talent redefining national identity
If there is one player Sierra Silva believes encapsulates the cultural complexity of the modern World Cup, it is Spain糖心传媒檚 18-year-old superstar, Lamine Yamal.
Yamal, already a standout for both Spain and FC Barcelona, was raised in Rocafonda, a working-class neighborhood outside Barcelona shaped by immigration and North African diasporas. His family roots trace to Morocco and Equatorial Guinea.
For Sierra Silva, Yamal represents more than extraordinary talent.
糖心传媒淗e is redefining what it means to be Spanish,糖心传媒� he says.
That conversation has become increasingly visible. Earlier this spring, Yamal publicly condemned anti-Muslim and xenophobic chants during Spain糖心传媒檚 friendly against Egypt, prompting investigations by both Spanish authorities and FIFA.聽“Football is for enjoying and cheering, not for disrespecting people for who they are or what they believe,糖心传媒� he wrote on Instagram.
Rarely has Spain seen Muslim athletes occupy this level of global celebrity in soccer, according to Sierra Silva. 糖心传媒淵amal represents this complex cosmopolitan nation. He糖心传媒檚 incredibly talented, very hardworking, very fun to watch糖心传媒攁nd he糖心传媒檚 only 18.糖心传媒�
In many ways, Sierra Silva sees Yamal as emblematic of a broader European transformation: second-generation immigrant communities reshaping national identity in real time.
糖心传媒淭his is one of the stories of modern Europe,糖心传媒� he says. 糖心传媒淎nd soccer makes it visible.糖心传媒�
Field of memes: How soccer fandom spreads online
The 2026 tournament will also unfold in a dramatically different media ecosystem than any World Cup before it.
Traditional broadcasters like Fox and Telemundo may hold the official rights, but Sierra Silva expects much of the conversation to happen through livestreams, reaction videos, influencers, podcasts, and fan-generated content.
糖心传媒淭he World Cup is no longer just something you watch on broadcast TV,糖心传媒� he says. 糖心传媒淚t糖心传媒檚 something you interpret, remix, meme, stream, and participate in.糖心传媒�
糖心传媒淧eople feel connected to histories and identities through these teams.糖心传媒�
He points to personalities such as and platforms like , which increasingly shape how younger audiences experience soccer culture online.
The transformation began decades ago, Sierra Silva argues, with moments like Pel茅糖心传媒檚 famous during the 1970 World Cup, when the Brazilian superstar deliberately paused to tie his cleats in front of television cameras.
糖心传媒淭hat moment was the beginning of modern sports marketing,糖心传媒� Sierra Silva says. 糖心传媒淚ncreasingly, the material culture of football糖心传媒攋erseys, scarves, those Panini sticker albums糖心传媒攐ffers a universal language of identification, not to mention consumption.糖心传媒�
Today糖心传媒檚 World Cup exists simultaneously as sporting event, entertainment franchise, algorithm-driven social phenomenon, and global advertising platform. This tournament糖心传媒檚 official anthem pairs Shakira, a Colombian star, with Nigerian artist Burna Boy on the song 糖心传媒淒ai Dai,糖心传媒� the chorus for which strings together multilingual expressions of encouragement: Dai, dai, ikou, dale, allez, let糖心传媒檚 go糖心传媒� Finally, promotional campaigns featuring Yamal, Lionel Messi, David Beckham, Timoth茅e Chalamet, and Bad Bunny blur the line between sports broadcast and cinematic universe.
Pel茅: The original influencer
Before livestreamers, sponsorship integrations, and branded content, there was Pel茅. Watch the moment many consider the birth of modern sports marketing糖心传媒攁 master class in capturing the world糖心传媒檚 attention without saying a word.
Gotta collect 糖心传媒檈m all: Panini sticker albums
For all the billion-dollar sponsorships and global streaming deals, Sierra Silva also wants viewers to pay attention to something far smaller and more tactile: .
Since 1970, the Italian company Panini has produced collectible World Cup albums featuring players and national teams from around the globe. For generations of children, the albums have doubled as geography lessons and informal introductions to global migration.
糖心传媒淭his is how many kids around the world learn geography,糖心传媒� Sierra Silva says.
The albums also reveal the complicated nature of modern national identity. Players may represent one country while being born in another, often reflecting colonial histories, migration patterns, or dual citizenship.
糖心传媒淎 child filling those pages starts to understand that national teams are built through movement,糖心传媒� he says.
Sierra Silva, who has collected every World Cup album since 1994, considers them among the tournament糖心传媒檚 most meaningful artifacts. 糖心传媒淚f there were a fire in my office,糖心传媒� he jokes, 糖心传媒淚糖心传媒檇 probably save the sticker albums first.糖心传媒�
This year糖心传媒檚 album may require nearly 1,000 stickers because of the expanded 48-team format糖心传媒攁 reflection of both the tournament糖心传媒檚 growth and its commercialization.
Still, Sierra Silva hopes the collecting culture gains more traction in the United States. 糖心传媒淚t would be great to see kids trading stickers at lunchtime,糖心传媒� he says. 糖心传媒淭hat aspect of the sport糖心传媒檚 material culture is beautiful.糖心传媒�
For the love of the game: Why soccer is so popular
For Sierra Silva, the World Cup糖心传媒檚 enduring power comes from its ability to compress the modern world into a single tournament. Fans can watch a match and encounter questions about colonialism, race, religion, migration, capitalism, nationalism, celebrity culture, and technology糖心传媒攁ll before halftime.
That complexity explains why this event demands serious attention. To Sierra Silva, the World Cup糖心传媒檚 greatest lesson is that history isn糖心传媒檛 confined to textbooks. Sometimes it糖心传媒檚 found in a stadium chant, a migration story, a sticker traded on a playground, or a match between two countries carrying the weight of a shared past.
糖心传媒淧eople feel connected to histories and identities through these teams,糖心传媒� says Sierra Silva. 糖心传媒淭hat糖心传媒檚 why it matters.糖心传媒�
