By Yao Noël
Even as the football World Cup—an event meant to unite the nations and peoples of the entire planet—is being played across the United States, Mexico, and Canada, the sounds of gunfire and cannon fire continue, alas, to be heard in every corner of the globe.
What a paradox, what sadness, and what sorrow it is to see humanity—our shared humanity—continue to evolve and move forward in this way.
Yes, from Kivu in Central Asia to Gaza and the Strait of Hormuz in Asia, and through Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, and Kyiv in Ukraine, war and violence rage on, wreaking deadly and devastating havoc.
While the ball rolls for the 2026 World Cup amidst a festive, joyful atmosphere in the stadiums of the three host countries, man continues to kill man, destroying lives and bringing grief.
What a human tragedy! What a disaster!
More than eight decades after the deadly Second World War (1939–1945), the creation of the United Nations (UN), and fervent promises of international peace and security, humanity dreamed of a new world free from violence, war, and destruction—whether massive or limited.
Unfortunately, that dream was short-lived; violence soon regained the upper hand, bringing grief, sorrow, and instability to the international community.
Yet today, amidst the renewed good cheer, friendship, and brotherhood—and above all, the joyful mingling and gathering of the world’s youth in the United States, Canada, and Mexico for this World Cup—we can hope for and envision a new day of peace and global harmony for humanity. We all acknowledge that football is the “king of sports,” possessing the incredible power to mobilize men and women across the globe.
In this 21st century, it now remains for the sport to truly become a king of peace—a force for peace among all the people, nations, and individuals of the planet.