World Cup 2026
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The 2026 FIFA World Cup is projected to be the most-watched sporting event in history, with total global viewership expected to reach around 6 billion people. Its impact isn’t limited only to sports fans–countries around the world will stop to watch the games and hear the stories from the athletes playing.
This year, GMO is partnering with CRU and Athletes in Action to meet our global audience where they are, either celebrating or mourning their team’s success, and share with them the hope of Jesus. Using a major cultural event like the World Cup is a great entry point to conversation, but the key to going deeper with these Seekers is to focus on building relationships and getting to know them and their faith journey, rather than sending long sermons or articles.
Here is a breakdown of how to respond to World Cup Seekers, along with a few topics and example messages you can use:
Step One: Build A Relationship
Ask a Question: Always end with a question (like "Who are you rooting for in the World Cup?" or "What made you want to reach out today?"). It turns a monologue into a dialogue.
Check out these great opening questions from our friends at Victory Beyond the Cup!
Read the Room: If a friend’s team just suffered a devastating, heartbreaking loss, give them space to be bummed out first. Empathy paves the way for deeper conversations later.
Keep it Positive: Avoid using the message to condemn or criticize the culture or importance of the sport. Meet them where they are!
Step Two: Find the Bridge to Go Deeper
Sports naturally echo biblical themes: discipline, teamwork, striving for a goal, and global unity. Using these parallels makes your message resonate with what the person is already watching and feeling.
True Identity: Fans tie their happiness to a team's win or loss. It’s a great opening to talk about finding an identity and peace that doesn't change based on the final score.
The Eternal Prize: Athletes train their whole lives for a gold trophy that eventually fades, which perfectly mirrors Paul’s analogy in 1 Corinthians 9 about running the race for an eternal crown.
Global Unity: The World Cup is one of the few times the entire world gathers together. This is a beautiful reflection of the Christian vision of heaven in Revelation—people of every nation, tribe, and tongue united.
Sample Online Messages
"These players have trained their whole lives for this one temporary trophy. It reminds me of a verse in the Bible, 1 Corinthians 9, where it talks about how we can work hard for a prize that lasts forever rather than just four years. What’s a prize in your life you’re most proud of?”
"Man, the highs and lows of this tournament are stressful! 😂 It’s a good reminder that I’m glad my ultimate peace and joy aren't tied to my team's performance, but to something much bigger. Where do you find peace and hope?"
Suggested Verses
1 Corinthians 9:24-27 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we are imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.
Revelation 7:9-15 … a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”
Matthew 16: 26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?
Video Links
Resources
Victory Beyond the Cup Hosting Kit (fantastic questions and cultural insight)
World Cup Official Website (for checking scores and gametimes)
GodLife’s World Cup Landing Page (features player testimonies and an email series)
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