How many FIFA World Cup games have you watched so far this year? Do you have a particular team you’re rooting for, or do you just get caught up in the spectacle of the whole thing? More than quarter of a century ago, I studied at the University of Glasgow for my joint undergrad and Master’s degree in psychology, so part of the World Cup fun for me recently has been seeing the recent Tartan Army takeover of Boston, including moving renditions of the national anthem Flower of Scotland and Loch Lomond at Scotland’s opening match against Haiti (reportedly breaking a World Cup decibel-record), as well as some more frivolous activities: the oh-so-Scottish singing on the oh-so-not-Scottish Country Roads, bagpipes for Scottish Heritage Night at Fenway Park, and the Glaswegian tradition of topping each statue off with a traffic cone. (Yes, there are also stories that Boston bars have been running out of beer, leaving behind only the Bud Light…)
Of course, Scotland isn’t the only team bringing their culture and traditions to a new venue. Perhaps you’ve seen Japanese fans bringing trash bags with them to their matches to stay after the game and clean up the stadium; a tradition started at the World Cup in 1998 but that mirrors their wider cultural norms. And then there’s the tiny country of Cabo Verde, with a population of only 500,000, shocking the football world in their first ever World Cup appearance by holding Spain to a draw, earning their first World Cup point as a result. And there’s also the most unlikely of all soccer heroes – the New York Knicks basketball team – who seemed to become honorary World Cup winners upon breaking their 53-year NBA Championship drought, with the city displaying some unified pride alongside World Cup visitors from around the world.
With so many varied World Cup stories during this first week of play, we’ll forgo the usual unifying theme for this piece and instead offer a number of small takeaways the 2026 World Cup might be able to offer us in our workplaces.
This Week’s Tips:
- Consider ways you can bring some of your own culture to your workplace. Even if you’re not going to leave the place immaculately clean, or place traffic cones everywhere, maybe there’s a little more of you or your culture of origin that you could bring. Doing so both adds something unique and new, as well as creating space for people to learn more about each other.
- Clean up after yourself and others. Take a page out of the Japanese fans’ book. Chances are, everyone will appreciate it, and perhaps even take after you.
- Learn the stories of how each “player” ended up on your team, and share your own. Morocco’s star attacking midfielder Eliesse Ben Seghir grew up in France and played for several French teams in his teenage years. Recognizing that his path to becoming a starting player for the French national team was long because of the team’s deep talent, he took advantage of his Moroccan dual nationality to instead play for Morocco – going on to become a key player on the team. Learning more about your team’s journeys to where they are now doesn’t have to only happen in job interviews. Learn more about their stories, and share more of your own.
- Ask yourself where you (or your team) need to “go slow to go fast” by resetting. Watching soccer I’m always struck by the several times each game that teams pass the ball back and take time to reset for their next set piece. They have rehearsed each set piece dozens of times (if not hundreds), so passing back and resetting allows them to play to take a breath, use their muscle memory, and play to their strengths. How can you and your team do the same this week?
- Who can you welcome as “honorary” members of your team? Just as the New York Knicks’ success was intertwined with the World Cup, I wonder if there are any quote-unquote “outsiders” that you could bring into your team. In doing so your team can learn about them and vice versa. Perhaps there are potential avenues for collaboration?
- Consider starting (or joining) some cross-departmental teams. National teams that play in the World Cup are composed of players who play professionally for a wide variety of teams the rest of the year, and have much more experience playing with their club team’s players than their national team. How could you similarly work alongside others from different departments, and perhaps even other companies? What opportunities might be there for some coopertition?
- If you have rising stars alongside long-time team members, consider when might be a good time to sub in your up-and-coming players. See our 2023 piece inspired by the FIFA Women’s World Cup to explore this idea further.
Try these out this week, and let us know how it goes – we’d love to hear from you!
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