As Mexican midfielder Brian Gutiérrez kicked off the opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on June 11, the 100 people at the Iglesia Bautista Estrella de Belén in Mexico City erupted with applause and cheers. For the first…
Pilgrims and Holy Wars at the World Cup
With five billion fans, soccer is less the world’s favorite sport than its largest religion, and the FIFA World Cup Finals (which begins on June 11 across North America) its ultimate pilgrimage.
What the tattoos of World Cup players say about their love, life and religious beliefs
As the 2026 FIFA World Cup starts on June 11, 2026, traditional news and social media channels will be full of pictures of the players. Many of them will be showing their tattoos.