The World Cup reminds us of what we all need – to be together

While millions of people around the world follow the World Cup, it is easy to think that football is all that matters. But if we look a little more closely at the stands, the streets and the squares of the host cities, we will realise that something much bigger is happening.

People want to be together again.

In recent years we have grown used to doing almost everything through screens. We work from home, watch films on streaming platforms, text more than we talk, and we often "see" our friends through their posts on social media. Technology has made our lives easier, but at the same time it has left us a little lonely.

That is why, for me, the World Cup is more than a sporting event: it reminds us how much we miss shared emotions and the real people we share them with. A single goal can pull thousands of strangers into one embrace. A single victory can connect generations. A single song from the stands can make us feel as if we belong to something greater than ourselves.

At this World Cup we are cheering especially for Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia, who have achieved notable results and shown how much sport can unite people from different backgrounds. No matter where we come from, moments like these awaken a shared pride across the whole region.

At the HELSE association we have believed in exactly this idea for years. What matters most is not whether we gather for a play, a film, a concert or a match. What matters is that we gather in person — regardless of where we are from or who we cheer for.

— Evica