{"id":706792,"date":"2026-06-09T09:23:39","date_gmt":"2026-06-09T13:23:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/?p=706792"},"modified":"2026-06-09T09:23:39","modified_gmt":"2026-06-09T13:23:39","slug":"2026-world-cup-history-football-soccer-706792","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/2026-world-cup-history-football-soccer-706792\/","title":{"rendered":"Beyond the pitch: The World Cup as world history"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A URochester expert unpacks the history, identity, migration, fandom, and politics that collide on soccer\u2019s biggest stage<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1402,"featured_media":706822,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[456],"tags":[21422,42952,16072],"class_list":["post-706792","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-society-culture","tag-department-of-history","tag-pablo-sierra-silva","tag-school-of-arts-and-sciences"],"acf":{"external":"","hide_featured_image":false,"related":"show_related","style":[702162,666092,486392],"content_modules":[{"acf_fc_layout":"table_of_contents","anchor_id":"","css_classes":"pt-0","title":"<h2>A URochester expert unpacks the history, identity, migration, fandom, and politics that collide on soccer\u2019s biggest stage.<\/h2>","content":"Most watch the World Cup for the goals, stars, and rivalries. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sas.rochester.edu\/his\/people\/faculty\/sierra_pablo\/index.html\">Pablo Sierra Silva<\/a> watches for the history.\r\n\r\nOn the surface, it looks like just another contact sport riveting fans across the globe. However, \u201cthe World Cup is never just 22 players kicking a ball,\u201d says the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/\">糖心传媒<\/a> historian, who teaches HIST 145: World History Through Soccer every men\u2019s World Cup cycle. \u201cYou\u2019re seeing empire, migration, nationalism, labor, religion, commercialization, and identity all unfolding in real time.\u201d\r\n\r\nWith billions of viewers tuning in for 104 matches played across 48 teams, this year\u2019s 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\u2014and even the collectible sticker albums\u2014to reveal something deeper happening beneath the surface.","bg_color":"#ffffff","layout":"standard_width","image":"","call_to_action":"","aceppted_headings":["h3"],"ignored_headings":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"text","anchor":"","css_class":"","title":"<h3><strong>The game\u2019s afoot! Soccer basics in under 1 minute<\/strong><\/h3>","content":"<strong>How long is a World Cup soccer game? <\/strong>A standard men\u2019s match has two 45\u2011minute halves plus stoppage time added by the referee for substitutions, injuries, or delays, per the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theifab.com\/laws\/latest\/the-duration-of-the-match\/\">International Football Association Board<\/a> (IFAB). The knockout\u2011round games can go to 30 minutes of extra time and, if needed, a penalty shootout.\r\n\r\n<strong>Who invented modern soccer? <\/strong>Forms of football have been played for centuries. The modern game of association football\u2014what Americans and Canadians call \u201csoccer\u201d\u2014traces back to rules codified by the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/sports\/football-soccer\">English Football Association in the 1860s<\/a>.\r\n\r\n<strong>So is it \u201csoccer\u201d or \u201cfootball\u201d? <\/strong>Outside North America, the sport is commonly called football because it is played primarily with the feet, in contrast to rugby\u2011style games. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/story\/why-do-some-people-call-football-soccer\">The word \u201csoccer\u201d comes from \u201cassociation football,\u201d shortened to \u201cassoccer.\u201d<\/a>\r\n\r\n<strong>Is soccer in the Olympics? <\/strong>Yes. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.olympics.com\/en\/sports\/football\/\">Men\u2019s soccer has been part of the Olympic Games<\/a> for more than a century, and women\u2019s soccer was added in 1996. Olympic soccer and the FIFA World Cup are separate tournaments with different qualification paths.\r\n\r\n<strong>Is soccer the most popular sport in the world? <\/strong>By most estimates of participation and global viewership, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/sports\/football-soccer\">soccer is the world\u2019s most widely played and watched sport<\/a>, with billions of fans following World Cups, domestic leagues, and local clubs.\r\n\r\n<strong>Is soccer growing in the United States? <\/strong>Yes, according to the Harris Poll, one of the longest-running market research surveys. Professional leagues, youth participation, and TV and streaming audiences have <a href=\"https:\/\/theharrispoll.com\/articles\/interest-in-mls-grows-along-with-the-launch-of-new-teams\/\">grown significantly<\/a> in recent decades\u2014even in a sports landscape dominated by American football, baseball, and basketball.","background_color":"#f4f4f4","width":"width-medium"},{"acf_fc_layout":"text","anchor":"","css_class":"","title":"<h3><strong>Catch this match: France \ud83c\uddeb\ud83c\uddf7 vs. Senegal \ud83c\uddf8\ud83c\uddf3<\/strong><\/h3>","content":"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.\r\n\r\nFrance\u2019s colonial presence in West Africa dates back to the 17th century, with Senegal achieving independence in 1960. That reality has shaped the country\u2019s 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\u2019s greatest upsets.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_707062\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"2000\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-707062\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/fea-metlife-stadium-ny-nj-2026-world-cup-history-football-soccer-GettyImages-2274072737.jpg\" alt=\"A general view of MetLife Stadium ahead of the 2026 World Cup at New York New Jersey Stadium.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" \/> <strong>NEW LEASE ON METLIFE:<\/strong> For select 2026 World Cup matches, including France versus Senegal, MetLife Stadium has been transformed into New York New Jersey Stadium.[\/caption]\r\n\r\nBut Sierra Silva says viewers should also watch the crowd.\r\n\r\nIn 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.\r\n\r\n\u201cIn African stadiums, drums are so much a part of the soundscape that they move you, literally,\u201d he says. \u201cYou think, \u2018Why am I swaying?\u2019\u201d\r\n\r\nSierra Silva\u2019s other top picks for must-see matches include:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong>Haiti vs. Scotland<\/strong>, a celebration of two passionate communities<\/li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Spain vs. Saudi Arabia<\/strong>, featuring rising superstar Lamine Yamal and two future World Cup hosts (Spain co-hosts in 2030, Saudi Arabia hosts in 2034)<\/li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Colombia vs. Congo<\/strong>, where fan culture and football history converge in Guadalajara<\/li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Iran vs. Belgium<\/strong>, a contest likely to carry both sporting stakes and geopolitical resonance<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>","background_color":"#ffffff","width":"width-medium"},{"acf_fc_layout":"text","anchor":"","css_class":"pt-0","title":"<h3>A global talent redefining national identity<\/h3>","content":"[caption id=\"attachment_706972\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"420\"]<img class=\"wp-image-706972 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/fea-lamine-yamal-world-cup-history-football-soccer-GettyImages-2271444437-420x630.jpg\" alt=\"Action shot of Lamine Yamal of FC Barcelona on the pitch during a soccer match. \" width=\"420\" height=\"630\" \/> <strong>SOCCER SUPERSTAR:<\/strong> Lamine Yamal of FC Barcelona \u201cis redefining what it means to be Spanish,\u201d according to Sierra Silva. (Getty Images)[\/caption]\r\n\r\nIf there is one player Sierra Silva believes encapsulates the cultural complexity of the modern World Cup, it is Spain\u2019s 18-year-old superstar, Lamine Yamal.\r\n\r\nYamal, 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.\r\n\r\nFor Sierra Silva, Yamal represents more than extraordinary talent.\r\n\r\n\u201cHe is redefining what it means to be Spanish,\u201d he says.\r\n\r\nThat conversation has become increasingly visible. Earlier this spring, Yamal publicly condemned anti-Muslim and xenophobic chants during Spain\u2019s friendly against Egypt, prompting investigations by both Spanish authorities and FIFA.\u00a0\"Football is for enjoying and cheering, not for disrespecting people for who they are or what they believe,\u201d he wrote on Instagram.\r\n\r\nRarely has Spain seen Muslim athletes occupy this level of global celebrity in soccer, according to Sierra Silva. \u201cYamal represents this complex cosmopolitan nation. He\u2019s incredibly talented, very hardworking, very fun to watch\u2014and he\u2019s only 18.\u201d\r\n\r\nIn many ways, Sierra Silva sees Yamal as emblematic of a broader European transformation: second-generation immigrant communities reshaping national identity in real time.\r\n\r\n\u201cThis is one of the stories of modern Europe,\u201d he says. \u201cAnd soccer makes it visible.\u201d","background_color":"#ffffff","width":"width-medium"},{"acf_fc_layout":"text","anchor":"","css_class":"pt-0","title":"<h3><strong>Field of memes: How soccer fandom spreads online<\/strong><\/h3>","content":"The 2026 tournament will also unfold in a dramatically different media ecosystem than any World Cup before it.\r\n\r\nTraditional 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.\r\n\r\n\u201cThe World Cup is no longer just something you watch on broadcast TV,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s something you interpret, remix, meme, stream, and participate in.\u201d\r\n<blockquote>\u201cPeople feel connected to histories and identities through these teams.\u201d<\/blockquote>\r\nHe points to personalities such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/c\/ISHOWSPEED\">IShowSpeed<\/a> and platforms like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.meninblazers.com\/\">Men in Blazers Media Network<\/a>, which increasingly shape how younger audiences experience soccer culture online.\r\n\r\nThe transformation began decades ago, Sierra Silva argues, with moments like Pel\u00e9\u2019s famous <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=ZpYlGhsAXLE\">Puma promotion<\/a> during the 1970 World Cup, when the Brazilian superstar deliberately paused to tie his cleats in front of television cameras.\r\n\r\n\u201cThat moment was the beginning of modern sports marketing,\u201d Sierra Silva says. \u201cIncreasingly, the material culture of football\u2014jerseys, scarves, those Panini sticker albums\u2014offers a universal language of identification, not to mention consumption.\u201d\r\n\r\nToday\u2019s World Cup exists simultaneously as sporting event, entertainment franchise, algorithm-driven social phenomenon, and global advertising platform. This tournament\u2019s official anthem pairs Shakira, a Colombian star, with Nigerian artist Burna Boy on the song \u201cDai Dai,\u201d the chorus for which strings together multilingual expressions of encouragement: <em>Dai, dai, ikou, dale, allez, let\u2019s go\u2026<\/em> Finally, promotional campaigns featuring Yamal, Lionel Messi, David Beckham, Timoth\u00e9e Chalamet, and Bad Bunny blur the line between sports broadcast and cinematic universe.","background_color":"#ffffff","width":"width-medium"},{"acf_fc_layout":"media_text_new","anchor":"","class":"pt-0","overline":"","title":"<h3><strong>Pel\u00e9: The original influencer<\/strong><\/h3>","content":"Before livestreamers, sponsorship integrations, and branded content, there was Pel\u00e9. Watch the moment many consider the birth of modern sports marketing\u2014a master class in capturing the world\u2019s attention without saying a word.","cta":"","bg":"#00205b","type":"embed","image":"","embed":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=ZpYlGhsAXLE","video":"","layout":"left","animation":"animation-false"},{"acf_fc_layout":"text","anchor":"","css_class":"","title":"<h3><strong>Gotta collect \u2019em all: Panini sticker albums<\/strong><\/h3>","content":"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: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.paniniamerica.net\">Panini sticker albums<\/a>.\r\n\r\nSince 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.\r\n\r\n\u201cThis is how many kids around the world learn geography,\u201d Sierra Silva says.\r\n\r\nThe 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.\r\n\r\n\u201cA child filling those pages starts to understand that national teams are built through movement,\u201d he says.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_707012\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"1210\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-707012\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/inline-panini-sticker-book-2026-world-cup-history-football-soccer.jpg\" alt=\"Diptych featuring a close-up of hands holding a stack of World Cup 2026 Panini sticker books and an extreme close-up of the interior pages filled with stickers. \" width=\"1210\" height=\"400\" \/> <strong>ALBUM OF THE YEAR?<\/strong> Sierra Silva is an avid fan of Panini sticker albums. \u201cThat aspect of the sport\u2019s material culture is beautiful,\u201d he says. (Images courtesy of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.paniniamerica.net\/blog.html\">Panini<\/a>)[\/caption]\r\n\r\nSierra Silva, who has collected every World Cup album since 1994, considers them among the tournament\u2019s most meaningful artifacts. \u201cIf there were a fire in my office,\u201d he jokes, \u201cI\u2019d probably save the sticker albums first.\u201d\r\n\r\nThis year\u2019s album may require nearly 1,000 stickers because of the expanded 48-team format\u2014a reflection of both the tournament\u2019s growth and its commercialization.\r\n\r\nStill, Sierra Silva hopes the collecting culture gains more traction in the United States. \u201cIt would be great to see kids trading stickers at lunchtime,\u201d he says. \u201cThat aspect of the sport\u2019s material culture is beautiful.\u201d","background_color":"#ffffff","width":"width-medium"},{"acf_fc_layout":"text","anchor":"","css_class":"pt-0","title":"<h3><strong>For the love of the game: Why soccer is so popular<\/strong><\/h3>","content":"For Sierra Silva, the World Cup\u2019s 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\u2014all before halftime.\r\n\r\nThat complexity explains why this event demands serious attention. To Sierra Silva, the World Cup\u2019s greatest lesson is that history isn\u2019t confined to textbooks. Sometimes it\u2019s 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.\r\n\r\n\u201cPeople feel connected to histories and identities through these teams,\u201d says Sierra Silva. \u201cThat\u2019s why it matters.\u201d","background_color":"#ffffff","width":"width-medium"}]},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Beyond the pitch: The World Cup as world history<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A URochester expert unpacks the history, identity, migration, fandom, and politics that collide at World Cup 2026.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/2026-world-cup-history-football-soccer-706792\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Beyond the pitch: The World Cup as world history\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A URochester expert unpacks the history, identity, migration, fandom, and politics that collide at World Cup 2026.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/2026-world-cup-history-football-soccer-706792\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"News Center\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-09T13:23:39+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/fea-2026-world-cup-history-football-soccer-GettyImages-56992413-1200x630.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"630\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Melissa Pheterson\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Melissa Pheterson\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/2026-world-cup-history-football-soccer-706792\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/2026-world-cup-history-football-soccer-706792\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Melissa Pheterson\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/14a51433abfbe8287eb08a9a15d182e4\"},\"headline\":\"Beyond the pitch: The World Cup as world history\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-09T13:23:39+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/2026-world-cup-history-football-soccer-706792\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":9,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/2026-world-cup-history-football-soccer-706792\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/fea-2026-world-cup-history-football-soccer-GettyImages-56992413.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Department of History\",\"Pablo Sierra Silva\",\"School of Arts and Sciences\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Society &amp; 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