As spring transitions into summer in North America, the 2026 World Cup will be contested in Canada, Mexico, and the United States. In the cities hosting this globally anticipated football (soccer) event, there are Christian Science Reading Rooms and churches ready to welcome the worldwide array of visiting fans. 

That includes The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston, where we’re geared up to greet these visitors with open arms and loving hearts. We’re also embracing this event with heartfelt prayer that quietly acknowledges that God’s attributes—from love to authority, from kindness to firmness—are already present and all-powerful, wherever needed, to bring out the best in any occasion.

Looking for the expression of these attributes in the people and activity around us can make a difference over the coming weeks, both for fans and for those who are either excited or reluctant to be hosting them. 

A fan’s prayer

Prayer and sports can be a tricky combination. Those of us cheering for a particular team might be tempted to pray for victory. But would God, universal Love, ever favor one person or group over another, just because of the fervency of our prayer? Love cannot do that, and doesn’t need to. All of God’s good is freely given to everyone, always. 

But prayer does help us bring out that good in our lives. Prayer opens our hearts to the myriad qualities we each inherently reflect as sons and daughters of God, Spirit, created in God’s image—qualities such as humility, fidelity, forgiveness, and love. Any of us can pray to better express such qualities, so that we are the best we can be in our work and family life and in contributing to the wider community. 

When we yield to God’s direction as to how to do this in any right endeavor, we glorify God by becoming more of a transparency for Spirit’s nature, for all to see. And we feel the uplift that being this clearer transparency brings to our activities in more inspired decision-making and better behavior, whether we are beavering away at the office or watching sports stars performing on the world stage. And we can know that what we hear and heed in prayer as spiritually true doesn’t just apply to us. What’s spiritually true for one is spiritually true for all.

In particular, when watching sports, as we listen for Christ—the true idea of what God is and creates—we discern that the qualities all reflect as God’s wholly spiritual image include stamina, resilience, discipline, courage, precision, and so on. And we can expect these qualities to find expression in both individual flair and the unselfish love that lets go of self-centeredness to serve a greater whole. So, even as we are audibly rooting for our team, we can bring a healing thought to every match, mentally cheering the truth of everyone’s spiritual identity and God-given talents, just as it’s natural to do in all our activities.

Hosting prayer

In welcoming visiting fans and players, our recognition of God’s qualities contributes to the unity and safety of this global occasion. Prayer in Christian Science starts by recognizing the reality of God as ever present, all-powerful, and all-knowing. That’s what Jesus’ healings proved. He knew that the harmony God’s omnipresence, omnipotence, and omniscience creates and maintains is the only reality, and he demonstrated this by healing others.

As hosts, we too can bear witness to the reality of spiritual harmony and its source, the divine Mind. In every event, whether local or global, we can look to this infinite Mind, God, to provide the ideas, insights, and intuitions that refute the existence of “error”—the invalid belief in a presence, power, or knowledge apart from God’s—that would claim to disrupt our consciousness and experience of harmony. We can look to Love to bring to light the underlying spiritual bond that binds all God’s children—each one equally cherished—in unity. We can look to divine Principle to assert order, secure safety, and empower those charged with these responsibilities to be rightly guided in fulfilling their roles. 

Every recognition that Spirit’s harmony is the reality will bring better outcomes for everyone, from the heartiest fans of “the beautiful game” to those most wary of opening their city to spectators. Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy says, “In the scientific relation of God to man, we find that whatever blesses one blesses all, as Jesus showed with the loaves and the fishes,—Spirit, not matter, being the source of supply” (p. 206). We can look to see this all-embracing spiritual blessedness proved where the matches are played and for the billions watching around the world. 

Victories we can all celebrate

Ultimately, just one national team will lift this year’s World Cup trophy, and, like you—if you’re a soccer fan—I’m hoping, but not praying, that my team wins. (Go, England!) 

But there will be victories along the way we can all cheer, if we are seeking to see God’s qualities expressed: sportsmanship winning out over gamesmanship on the pitch; good manners winning out over rowdy behavior off the pitch; fans seeing beyond rivalry to appreciate excellence in the opposing team. 

Whether or not we’re football fans, we can rejoice in the world coming together to laud the timeless spiritual attributes that will make up the best of this year’s World Cup tournament. 

Tony Lobl, Deputy Editor