Futbol in English

By Gabriela Fernandez

World Cup fever is on! As the drama of the world's favorite sporting event unfolds in Brazil, hundreds of millions of people across the globe have been glued to televisions, radios and the Internet watching the matches, celebrating victories and crying for those who didn’t make it to the next round. As a Chilean now living in the U.S., I understand that for many Americans the World Cup isn’t as popular as the Super Bowl or other sporting events, though Americans are just getting a taste of how a sport like futbol (as soccer is known throughout most of the world) can unite a country and stir national passions like nothing else, not even the Olympics.

In most countries around the world, everything stops when the national team plays in a World Cup match. I remember that even in my all-girls Catholic high school in Chile, the nuns canceled classes so that we could all cheer on the national team. Those were epic and joyful moments that inspired feelings of pride and unity. I remember going home to join family and friends, because in Chile and many nations watching important futbol matches, it's like any other major holiday. Gathering with a large group to enjoy an asado barbecue, to cheer together, sing the national anthem, to celebrate an amazing play and of course, jump from your seat in frustration and point your finger at the TV when a referee slights your team. Hugs, high fives, singing chants and songs and shouting in unison: GOOOAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLL! That's what it's all about! futbol inspires such a range of emotions that we experience collectively, and it creates unique sense of belonging. And that's what futbol represents not just in Chile, but across the globe.

Building International Friendships through Futbol

I organized gatherings to watch and cheer for Chile, but because I had already been living abroad for 2 years, at that point my heart was with Korea too, so I joined with my local friends and cheered for them as well. Meanwhile, I also had expatriate friends from Brazil and Argentina, so despite the natural rivalries between our nations back in South America, the three of us decided to show support for each others' home countries and watching every match provided a fantastic international bonding experience in addition to an excuse to throw parties nearly every day for a month.