World Cup 2026 - The Nations are Here!

By DALTON TEW
Baptist Progress Writer

English tract card

Every four years, people from all over the world gather together to focus their attention on one main thing, and it is not the Olympics or a presidential election. It is football! No, this is not the same football you are used to watching on Sunday afternoons, where people pass a pigskin and avoid being tackled. It is the game that you most likely know by a different name: Soccer.
 
This year is a special year for North America, as the FIFA World Cup Men’s games are being held in Mexico, Canada and the U.S. This is the first time this event has been held in the U.S. in over 30 years! Between June 11 and July 19, there are a total of 104 matches taking place in 16 cities with 48 national teams. Eleven of these cities are located in the U.S., with 16 matches taking place in Texas.
 
“So what?” you may ask. “Why should I care?” Maybe you aren’t a football (soccer) fan, and don’t even know the rules of the game. That doesn’t matter. All you need to understand is that this is one of the greatest evangelical opportunities we will ever have! Think about it — over the months of June and July, there will be an estimated 5-6.5 million attendees across these 16 cities. The nations are literally coming to us! 

Passing out tract cards at the World Cup watch party

Spanish tract card

I’m sure you have heard this phrase used before. However, in this case people are not coming to the U.S. to work, study or immigrate. They are instead coming to attend a sporting event, visit some of the key tourist places in the U.S. and then return back to their home countries and go back to their normal lives. Imagine, however, if instead of just returning to their countries with a win or a trophy, they instead returned with the true prize: Jesus Christ!
 
Let’s face it, evangelism and outreach can sometimes seem scary. It is not always comfortable to approach a complete stranger and strike up a conversation. This is especially true of those from a different culture. However, sports provide a commonality among others and build a bridge between languages, countries and cultures. People from strict Muslim nations, Hindu backgrounds, Buddhist kingdoms and Christian denominations can gather together and root for the same teams and enjoy the same experience. Therefore, the World Cup is creating an open door to the nations.
 
The BMA of Texas, along with the Baptist Publishing House, has launched an initiative to take advantage of this time and reach out to some of the fans. Special tracts were designed (in both English and Spanish) to be handed out to fans which clearly explain the gospel message, and BMA of Texas missionaries and ministers have committed leveraging this once-in-a lifetime event to create connections and make Christ known. For example, Miguel Ramos partnered with BMA of Texas Missionary Care Coordinator, Elvis Garcia to share the gospel at a watch party in Ft. Worth.
 
“How,” you may ask, “can ordinary church members in rural towns get in on this? What if we don’t live in Dallas or Houston?” Well, all you really need is a T.V.! 

World Cup watch party, Ft. Worth

England v. Croatia at Dallas

​One of the easiest ways to take advantage of this amazing opportunity is simply to hold a watch party at your house. Invite friends, family and neighbors over to your home to watch one of the football matches. Have them invite their friends and neighbors! Make snacks, grill some burgers or simply offer tea, coffee and dessert. This will create an open door for showing the love and kindness of Christ, and for developing friendships and relationships that will naturally lead to gospel conversations. Before people depart, offer to pray for them or gather prayer requests.
 
The missionary, Amy Carmichael, said “We will have all eternity to celebrate our victories, but only a few short hours to win them.”
 
The truth is—time is short, and we may never have another opportunity like this. We all desire to stand before the Lord one day and lock arms and raise voices of praise with people from Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Japan, Sweden, Portugal, Turkey and many others. Today, we have a unique opportunity to reach people from these nations with the hope that they will return to their homes with the greatest news of all time! However, the sun is setting fast, and soon the World Cup will come to an end. Let us not miss out on this incredible opportunity. Let us be willing to open our homes and our lives to others. Let us be faithful to pray for those reaching out during this time.
 
The nations are here with us. The final match is scheduled for July 19th at 2:00pm. Let us be ready, therefore, to bring the nations to Jesus.

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