In these weeks there is no other way: we have to talk about football. It’s not that I am an expert on this topic, but it is essential to express the excitement of living a World Cup at home. It has been four years of waiting and even longer since we learned that Houston would host this in 2026.
Whether we are football fans or not, this sport will touch us in some way; surely, when this tournament ends, each of us will have a story to tell.
While watching the opening from Mexico, I also thought and felt the excitement that the heart of our city was already beating from the moment the ball started rolling; it gave us great satisfaction. Knowing that this was the start, as we Mexicans say, it finally sunk in that this long-awaited event was right before our eyes.
Now the World Cup fever is in the air, and there is no conversation that doesn’t include some comment about the teams, the venues, the players, the fans, and everything that surrounds this colorful event.
The world is already watching Houston, and it seems unreal, something that thousands of us only aspire to see on television and never imagined having at home. We are already overwhelmed by football; we are already immersed in the uproar of what the arrival of this iconic event entails.
Who hasn’t remembered the first World Cup they can recall? Who hasn’t remembered a World Cup that impacted them or where they were for the last World Cup? All of that, I’m sure, has crossed our minds.
We are making history, but let’s not let it pass us by; we have to be part of the history, we have to be part of the numbers, we have to be part of this feeling, which for many goes beyond a game.
Perhaps it’s a cliché phrase, but the love for the jersey is already in the air and it’s true, each of us feels proud to see our own on the pitch; win or lose, we will all stay glued to what is happening.
We cannot stay out of any event related to the World Cup; we have to experience it. However, it is not out of place to take into account all the rules and procedures to avoid any incidents. From the simplest thing, like what we should or should not bring, to taking care of our health; we have already seen what Houston’s heat can do, so we must heed everything told to us in order to live this experience in the best possible way.
We must stay well informed, and let us not forget that now technology allows us to be better prepared.
Throughout the city there are festivals related to the World Cup, where football is the starting point, so find the one you think you’ll be most comfortable with and closest to your home.
Wherever you decide to experience it, whether at home or at public events, the important thing is to enjoy it. After all, that is one of the purposes of sport: that we vibrate, that we feel it and that we enjoy it.
We must be part of this World Cup and keep cheering for our teams as we live the history that perhaps we will never repeat.
