With just 68 days left until the 2026 Fifa World Cup kicks off in Mexico, the major question remains: Will the spirit of football be strong enough to deliver peace and salvation to the war-troubled co-host countries? Particularly the US and Mexico.
In the US, there are security concerns due to its attacks on Iran, which have since triggered a crisis across the Middle East. While in Mexico, where the opening match involving Bafana Bafana will take place, there is an ongoing conflict between the government and drug cartels.
Amid all the war and conflict happening in the Americas, with the Fifa World Cup edging closer, Bafana legend Lucas Radebe has weighed in on the situation surrounding the global showpiece, especially with South Africa set to return to the World Cup for the first time since hosting it in 2010.
“Football brings peace; football brings hope where there isn’t any, and where we’re heading, especially in Mexico, the reputation of the communities there is not good,” Radebe told Sunday World recently.
“Hopefully people will be able to enjoy the game, and the game will do what it’s supposed to do, which is bring hope and peace to those countries.”
The upcoming World Cup will be one of a kind, where it will be co-hosted across three countries for the first time, and will, also for the first time, have 48 teams involved, expanding from the previous 32-team format.
“All in all, I think it’s going to be an exciting and tough World Cup, but very expensive in terms of travelling around and the three countries, which for me is going to be absolutely brilliant for everyone watching.
“But then I think for us it will be bigger because we will get a chance to cheer and watch Bafana Bafana returning to a global stage for the first time in many years. “I think it’s been long overdue for us to return to the global stage, because since [Hugo] Broos took over, there has been a lot of progress and hope in our national team.
“But we believe in the boys, and I think this is the chance for them to showcase. We want them, at least for a change, to go as far as the knockout stages of the World Cup,” Radebe added.
Bafana will play the opening match against Mexico on June 11, a game that will be a repeat of the 2010 World Cup curtain raiser in Johannesburg.
- The 2026 FIFA World Cup will begin in 68 days, hosted by Mexico, the US, and Canada.
- A key concern is whether the tournament can promote peace and unity, especially in the conflict-affected host nations.
- The article specifically highlights the challenges faced by the US and Mexico as co-hosts.
- There is a broader hope that football's spirit might bring positive change amid turmoil.
- Full details are available in the Sunday World e-edition.
