The World Cup is the best sporting event of all time! Even though the U.S. didn’t make it this time around, I’ll be watching as many games as I can.
My wife and I don’t watch a ton of TV. In fact, with little kids in the house, we try to limit how much it’s on. But when the World Cup is on, all bets are off. It’s only on every four years! My wife, being a former UCLA soccer player (that’s how we first met), is just as avid about the game as I am.
I remember growing up with my three brothers and when the World Cup came on, our excitement and anticipation sky-rocketed. I was 8 years old when the ‘98 World Cup in France took place. All the games were early — between 4 and 6 a.m. — but that didn’t stop us boys. We’d all set our alarms (this was pre-TiVo) and if one of us didn’t get up, we’d all go into his room and jump on his bed until he did. It didn’t matter if it was a big match or a game between two random countries, we were glued to the TV.
I don’t have a specific team I’m rooting for this year, but I do love to see the underdogs come out on top. My FC Dallas team filled out brackets for the Cup, so I’ll be rooting for my picks to do well. The games are on constantly at the stadium, so we keep close tabs on the results. It’s just such great soccer to be had in every game — the best nations in the world playing against each other. What’s not to love?
Within our club, we have a lot of different nationalities represented. We have guys who are rooting for Nigeria, Mexico, Peru or random smaller teams that they grew up cheering on. It’s really fun to watch and be a part of this kind of diversity and excitement.
One of my favorite moments in a World Cup was in 2010, when the U.S. was playing against Algeria and Landon Donovan tapped in a rebound goal at the last minute! I don’t think I’ve ever been so excited watching soccer and watching our team move onto the next round. I was just pumped! You felt like everything was on the line, the whole country was watching and we only needed one goal to win it and bring us to round 16. That’s when Donovan came in for the offensive rebound and tapped it home.
The other day, I heard someone make a claim that 20-40 years ago, we had to go far away to all the nations to share the Gospel if we wanted to serve the Great Commission. That meant leaving the U.S. and going to places that had never heard the Gospel before. But now in 2018, so much evangelism to other “nations” can be done right in our teams or local neighborhoods! Many of the nations are coming to us.
Within the Dallas area alone, the diversity is astounding. When I think of evangelizing to these cultures, yes, there still is a huge need for people to go out into the corners of the world, but we also have a huge need to go out among those we are close to — those in our grocery stores, workplaces and neighborhoods.
In our stadium alone, there are so many new guys from different nations that come in every year. What a great place to spread the Gospel to the world!
— Ryan Hollingshead, FC Dallas midfielder/defender
The Increase, part of the Sports Spectrum Network, is a community of Christian pro athletes sharing their personal stories of the decrease of self and the increase of Christ (John 3:30). Visit TheIncrease.com for more stories and videos.
From left: Brazil's Alisson, Belgium's Jérémy Doku, USA's Christian Pulisic, Mexico's Santiago Giménez, England's Bukayo Saka. (AP Photos)
For the first time since 1994, the men’s FIFA World Cup is in North America. The 48-team tournament kicks off Thursday in Mexico City and ends on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Players from around the world will be giving glory to God as they participate. Here are 11 Christ-followers to keep an eye on as they take the field to represent their countries.
Alisson Becker, Brazil A two-time Premier League champion with Liverpool, Alisson has established himself as one of the world’s premier goalkeepers over the past decade. He has been the starter in net for Brazil at the past two World Cups and is projected to be the No. 1 choice again. The 33-year-old won multiple Goalkeeper of the Year awards in 2019 and has openly shared about his faith throughout his career. “As I got older, and I experienced more of life — both joy and pain — I realised that God is closer than you can ever imagine,” Alisson wrote last year in a piece for The Players’ Tribune.
Jérémy Doku, Belgium Doku is electric with the ball at his feet, and Belgium will be trying to get it to the 24-year-old as much as possible. He produced eight goals and 12 assists for Manchester City across all competitions this season, helping the team win the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup. But every time he takes the field, his ultimate goal is to glorify the Lord. “On the pitch, I have His presence with me. That’s the difference. I’m just happy that now I can just deliver the way I want to play without any fear or doubt or anything,” Doku told NBC Sports in November.
Eberechi Eze, England After getting his first major international tournament experience at Euro 2024, Eze is hoping to play a larger role for the Three Lions this summer. He scored seven goals for Premier League champions Arsenal in his debut season with the club, appearing in 32 league games. As Eze’s star continues to rise, he remains grounded in his faith. “That faith is a foundation, it’s a pillar for me in my life, of course because of my Christian background and how I’ve grown up. For me, that’s just an anchor of how I live my life. I see everything through the eyes of faith,” he told Sky Sports in May.
Matt Freese, U.S.A. All signs point to Freese being the starting goalie for the U.S. He played every minute of last summer’s Gold Cup and has started eight of the team’s last 10 games. At the club level, he led NYCFC to the Eastern Conference Final last season. Freese draws confidence from knowing he is a child of God. “God’s given me so many opportunities within this game and within my career,” he said during a recent appearance on Sports Spectrum’s “What’s Up” podcast. “I still have a role to play in that. I still have to do my part and take that opportunity and do something with it.”
Cody Gakpo, Netherlands In his last two major tournaments (2022 World Cup and Euro 2024), Cody Gakpo has found the back of the net six times and assisted on another goal. The 27-year-old Liverpool winger scored in all three group-stage games in Qatar 2022 and will lead the Dutch attack again in North America, as he leans on his relationship with the Lord. “Faith gives me peace,” Gakpo told NRC in 2022. “And strength when I need it. I often read the Bible before I go to sleep. It is a kind of love letter that tells us how we should treat each other.”
Santiago Giménez, Mexico Giménez made his national team debut in 2021 at the age of 20 and started every game at the 2024 Copa América. He had a 23-goal season for Dutch club Feyenoord in 2023-24, which eventually led to him joining Italian powerhouse AC Milan. His faith is the source of the passion that he plays with. “I only ask Him to light up my spirit. It’s just that He lets me be the fighter that I was, that He lets me be that child who had fun before,” Giménez told SempreMilan last year. “Simply, it’s the passion that I have for football, that He reawakens it in me, because when you do things with passion, they turn out well.”
Kenji Gorré, Curaçao Curaçao are in the World Cup for the first time, and Gorré’s goal contributions are a big part of the reason why. The 31-year-old was involved in a team-high six goals (three goals and three assists) during qualifying. As he steps onto the world stage, Gorré is giving the glory to the Lord. “God really does make the impossible possible. … That’s why the God that we serve is alive,” he said in a soon-to-be-released interview with Sports Spectrum. “The God that we serve does want to make your dreams come true and He is with you in your journey.”
Maxence Lacroix, France Lacroix has become a key player for Premier League side Crystal Palace, helping the club win the FA Cup in 2025 and the UEFA Conference League in 2026. His performances earned him a national team debut in March and a spot on an extremely competitive French World Cup roster. He has not been shy about thanking God for the success he’s experienced. “Win titles. Win games. This is very important for a player to win, but look after God first and He will give you what your heart desires,” Lacroix told the Professional Footballers’ Association in 2024.
Mark McKenzie, U.S.A. A product of the famed Philadelphia Union academy, McKenzie just completed his second season in France with Toulouse. He has made 60 Ligue 1 appearances for the club and played 29 times for the U.S. His faith in God has played an important role throughout his career, he shared in a recent interview with Sports Spectrum. “Every day that goes by is a day where I have to look up and say, ‘Thank You, Lord, for seeing me through this,'” he said.
Christian Pulisic, U.S.A. Pulisic is the face of the U.S. men’s national team and its fifth all-time leading scorer with 33 goals at just 27 years old. The AC Milan winger scored the crucial goal against Iran that sent the U.S. to the knockout stage of the 2022 World Cup. He has publicly discussed the role faith plays in his life on multiple occasions. “I’ve had to continue to prove myself over and over again,” Pulisic said at the end of a 2021 postgame interview, via CBS. “But, as always, I reach out to God and He gives me strength. With that behind me, nothing can stop me, really.”
Bukayo Saka, England Saka netted three goals at the last World Cup and is a central figure in the England squad that reached the Euro 2020 (played in 2021) and Euro 2024 Finals. He just won the Premier League title with his boyhood club, Arsenal, and started in the Champions League Final against PSG. At the 2022 World Cup, he talked about the peace he finds in the Lord. “It’s really important to obviously have the presence of God in me all the time, and it gives me more confidence that God’s plan is perfect so I can go on the pitch and know that God has my back,” he said in a pregame press conference.
THIS IS THE SPORTS SPECTRUM PODCAST HOSTED BY MATT FORTE, FEATURING MARK MCKENZIE
Mark McKenzie is a defender with Toulouse in France’s top league, and a member of the U.S. men’s national team preparing for the 2026 World Cup. He played college soccer at Wake Forest in 2017, and then turned pro, signing with the Philadelphia Union of MLS in 2018.
Today on the podcast, Mark McKenzie shares his God-story, takes us inside his preparation for the FIFA World Cup, and talks about what it means to represent the U.S. in the biggest soccer tournament in the world. He also shares how soccer became his sport of choice and why he places his identity in Jesus Christ.
Julie Ertz (Photo courtesy of International Justice Mission)
THIS IS THE SPORTS SPECTRUM PODCAST WITH ANNABELLE HASSELBECK, FEATURING JULIE ERTZ
Two-time World Cup winner and legendary U.S. women’s national team player Julie Ertz is our guest today with host Annabelle Hasselbeck. They talk faith, the 2026 World Cup, and Julie’s work in fighting to end slavery with International Justice Mission.
Join Julie and others in the fight to end modern slavery by visiting IJM’s Freedom To Play campaign.
