Despite facing final exams before the holidays, students are managing to find time to invest in this year’s FIFA World Cup as the semifinals conclude and the soccer world’s eyes turn to the finals match on Sunday in Qatar.
For the past month, it has been common to see students walking around campus or entering their classes wearing their favorite national team’s jerseys—from Brazil to Japan to the USA.
It also has been common to see different spots around campus hosting viewing parties for students to come together and watch their teams play. The Rathskeller, the student-run restaurant on-campus, has been among the venues offering a place for that camaraderie.
“I’m honestly not even someone who follows soccer religiously, but I decided to join a couple of friends at The Rat for a viewing party, and the place was packed,” said third-year student Caroline McDonald. “It was a lot of fun to see so many people come together to just kind of hang out and get excited about something that seems to unify everyone.”
Some students, like soccer-enthusiast Aden Lalonde, argue that the World Cup has evidently provided a release for students as they prepare for the end of the semester. Having watched the series since it started with 32 teams down to the current semifinals, Lalonde has made it a part of his exam journey.
“If my friends and I aren’t talking about what we’re studying, we’re talking about who’s playing who,” said Lalonde. “We’ll watch the games at home or as we’re doing work. It’s honestly just a nice distraction from how crazy finals can get. And at the same time, we’re watching something really impactful in the world and can connect with a lot of other people about it.”
Argentina and Croatia faced off in the first semifinals on Tuesday, with Argentina dominating in a 3-0 win. France and Morocco play Wednesday. Morocco notably made history in this year’s World Cup, becoming the first African nation to reach this stage of the competition.
“I’m really excited to see how they do in the semifinals; it’s nice to have seen them come so far,” said Lalonde. “I think it will set an interesting precedent for other African teams as well, and maybe we’ll see more of them in the future. I’m ready to see what happens.”
And as this year’s tournament wraps up, some students are already looking ahead to the next World Cup in 2026, which will be held in North America, with the United States, Canada, and Mexico jointly holding the games. Some matches will be held here in Miami at Hard Rock Stadium.
“My family is already thinking about potentially coming back here to see some of the games,” said third-year student Monica Gupta, who is originally from Jacksonville, Florida. “They’ve been really into it this year, and I think it’s a big possibility that we’ll be coming down to check it out in-person since it’s basically a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
In terms of the World Cup’s impact this year, it has also been regarded as one of the most political in recent history. The event shined a light on protests in Iran against strict laws against women, the war in Ukraine, and Qatar’s own record on human rights.
For some students, this has added an especially important layer to watching the events unfold.
“You just never know what you might see along with the actual game, and I think it’s really interesting,” said Gupta. “I think it makes people have more serious discussions alongside just what’s happening on the field, and it’s nice to see other people stand in solidarity for equality and peace. At the end of the day, that’s what everyone in the world really wants.”
