Jeremy Doku, Belgium football player, flew home for the birth of his first child, a boy he and his wife Shireen named Praise. Doke shared James 1:17, “Every good and perfect gift is from above.” He said his son’s birth was “one of the greatest gifts God has given me.” Doku prioritized his family over the World Cup. He then flew back to play for his country.
Fans from Japan waved bright blue plastic bags, with “Japan Pride” printed on them, to cheer on their team. After the game, they used the bags to pick up trash in the stadium.
In appreciation for their hospitality, Scotland’s fans donated to three charities in Providence, Rhode Island.
$10,000 to the cancer unit at Hasbro Children’s Hospital
$10,000 to a grassroots soccer program for underprivileged kids
$6,500 to the Rhode Island Highlanders Pipe Band to fund a program to teach children to play the bagpipes
After Jacob Allmendinger’s grandmother passed away in 2020, he and his grandfather spent a lot of time watching football games together. The 21-year-old England fan, from East Yorkshire, decided to use the $12,600 he had saved for a down payment for his first home to take his 80-year-old grandfather, Geoff Golliker, to the World Cup games. He stated, “I can always make the money back. But I won’t ever get to go to the World Cup with my grandad again.”
Players and coaches gathered on the field, after games, to pray together and to thank and praise God. Win or lose, the men gathered, often sharing the moment with the opposing team. After France lost, Maxence Lacroix shared, “I thank God not only when everything goes well, but also when hopes are disappointed and the outcome is painful. The Christian faith does not promise a life without setbacks. It gives us something greater: the assurance that Christ is with us in every circumstance. It is found in Jesus, who remains faithful when everything around us changes. It wasn’t the ending I had hoped for, but I’ve learned to give thanks to God in all circumstances.”
After the championship game, Argentina’s Lionel Messi embraced Spain’s Lamine Yamal, 19 years old, and told him, “Keep following your path. The future belongs to your generation.” Yamal said “Those words are worth as much as the gold medal hanging around my neck. It was like he had passed the baton to me. He’s the greatest player in history and someone I’ve always looked up to. After the match I wanted to show him my respect.”
After the World Cup Championship ceremonies, Spain’s Nico Williams found his mother, Maria, and placed his gold medal around her neck and gave her a hug. In the mid-1990s, she and her husband Felix had crossed the Sahara Desert in the back of a truck and then many miles barefoot, while seven months pregnant, so she would have a better life for her family. Upon reaching Spain, they climbed over the fence. A nun advised them to apply for political asylum. Nico commented, “I run very fast, but I can’t run as fast as my mother. She once escaped death and crossed the Sahara to come from Ghana to Spain. I gave the medal to my mother because she deserves it more than anyone else.”
Win or lose, we have an audience observing how we act, what we say, and what we do. May they see Jesus in us!
In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
Matthew 5:16
