For a player the World Cup day begins with everyone gathering in the restaurant for breakfast at the scheduled time. Buffet options are determined by the nutritionist, who specifies which food and in what quantities each player can consume. The morning also includes on-field training, usually within the team’s accommodation complex.
After that, lunch is likewise personalised, based on each athlete’s body composition and physiological needs. The afternoon is then dedicated to gym sessions and, when necessary, recovery massages, as well as meetings for strategic guidance from the coaching staff and video analysis of the upcoming opponent. Dinner, attended by the whole squad, allows for more relaxed conversation and games such as cards, pool, or dominoes. A final snack wraps up the schedule before the night’s sleep recharges energy levels to repeat the process the next day. And the next. And the next.
Sometimes, the daily routine includes slightly different commitments, such as press conferences, exclusive interviews with journalists and content recording for Fifa. Matchdays are taken up by the bus ride to the stadium, the game – perhaps followed by interviews in the mixed zone – and the return to the team base. Flights may be added to a player’s World Cup itinerary for games in different cities.
I had the fantastic experience of being at the 2022 World Cup and I am still savouring the memory while dreaming of living it again. But I can also say this: the World Cup demands every ounce of dedication and focus a person has to offer. And with that schedule of commitments it is not always easy to feel the “World Cup atmosphere”.
The trips to airports, the drives along streets and avenues en route to the stadiums, the hours spent inside the arena close to the fans, and the sight of hundreds of people from all over the world waiting for interviews shape a player’s perception of the magnitude of the World Cup. Through social media, which we check to varying degrees, we also see scenes of our fellow citizens gathering to cheer on the national team. Factor in the pre-tournament preparation and you are looking at dozens of days and long weeks of restrictions, where everything is scheduled down to the minute. Mind you, I’m not complaining.
I am not saying the life of a professional player is one of endless suffering. Being with the national team for the World Cup is incredible and unforgettable. It is important to acknowledge the privilege of having this opportunity. But it is not a privilege that sustains itself without effort. Establishing oneself at the required level – regardless of club, division or national team – demands a daily victory over the urge for extended rest and relaxation. If the body leans that way, the mind must pull us back. If the mind insists on straying, the body must hold firm. Should both threaten to give in to complacency, faith takes on the mission of safeguarding the thoughts and attitudes that ensure success.
This year, while undergoing treatment on my right knee, I have been experiencing the competition differently and paying attention to things that previously went unnoticed. The United States has been the centre of global football events in recent years and will continue to be so. The 2024 Copa América and 2025 Club World Cup took place in the US and most of this World Cup is happening there. The 2028 Olympic Games are in the country and it will probably have another Copa América. But the frequency of events that makes football a more visible presence across the country does not necessarily translate into it occupying a larger space within the culture.
I am in the US for the World Cup and anyone travelling through the cities and regions, visiting commercial districts and using standard modes of transport, notices that engagement with the matches is confined to bubbles of excitement: lively celebrations inside the stadiums, a buzz in the immediate vicinity, and visiting fans frequenting the most famous tourist spots.
Meanwhile, outside these hubs of activity, life goes on as usual for Americans. Opening hours for shops, museums and other attractions have generally remained unchanged. There is no widespread fervour surrounding the World Cup. And please, I do not mean to imply that this is good or bad; it is simply different for us Brazilians, for whom the World Cup is a major occasion for celebration, extraordinary days and the affirmation of our identity.
