It must be man’s innate propensity for survival and one-upmanship over his fellow human beings that caused him to create sports as a safer, bloodless alternative to actual battle.

From 11 June until 19 July, teams of 11 players from 48 nations, with their national colors proudly displayed on their uniforms and thousands of loyal supporters cheering from the sidelines, are at war with one another. This is happening on football fields across the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Football, a sport considered the world’s most popular athletic competition because of its relative ease of learning and playing, as well as its affordability, is showcased every four years in the World Cup.

This quadrennial tournament, which began in 1930 with only a handful of European nations after FIFA, football’s governing body, instituted formal rules of competition, now features about 200 countries competing in a two-year qualifying process to determine the top teams that advance to the final tournament.

This tournament is more than a sporting event, more than lifting the Jules Rimet Trophy named after FIFA’s founding father. It is a battlefield where nations clash and national pride is at stake. To my mind, the sports fever that can mesmerize an entire nation when its own athletes excel is perhaps the only arena where the haves and have-nots of the world truly compete on a level playing field.

History tells us that nations with superior resources — whether in population size or an abundance of wealth-producing natural resources that enable better infrastructure and stronger institutions — usually prevail.

But every so often, upsets happen, proving that even a mouse can roar as mightily as a lion. The defending champion in this edition of the World Cup is Argentina, which received a frightening wake-up call in the knockout stage when first-time qualifier Cape Verde, a nation of barely 600,000 people, nearly pulled off a stunning upset. Only the timely heroics of Lionel Messi and teammates Burgos and Martinez saved Argentina from a humiliating defeat.

The Philippines, though not a combatant and not exactly an ardent football nation, nevertheless has thousands of sports aficionados, including yours truly, who are all agog, feverishly spending late nights following the ongoing World Cup 2026 in North America.

Unfortunately, despite its simplicity, football continues to be an afterthought for most Filipinos.

Short of a miracle, it is almost impossible for us to dream of qualifying for the World Cup. Local football, however, had its brief shining moment a few years ago when the Azkals, the men’s national football team, strengthened by Filipino players of mixed heritage, came close to achieving regional success. On the other hand, I would be terribly remiss if I did not mention the Malditas, the saving grace of Philippine football and the women’s counterpart of the Azkals. The Malditas have, in fact, beaten the odds by qualifying for the women’s version of the World Cup in 2027 as Southeast Asia’s sole representative, an achievement that will surely keep millions of Filipinos awake.

Meanwhile, in faraway London, several individual athletes from different countries, including our very own homegrown star, Alex Eala, are also at war. But this time, they are competing not only for personal and national honor but also for lucrative prize money and international sporting stardom as this year’s Wimbledon champion, the most prestigious Grand Slam title in tennis.

Alex is definitely an underdog, but a few days ago, she showed her fangs and soundly defeated defending champion Iga Swiatek, causing an immediate sensation on the international scene and announcing that she has arrived.

As of this writing, Alex is scheduled to play higher-ranked Paolini in the fourth round. Another upset will move her into the semifinals. Let’s keep our fingers crossed for a miracle victory by Alex Eala!

Postscript: Alex’s Cinderella run has come to an end after a hard-fought three-set match against Paolini. Nevertheless, hats off to Alex for a great tournament. Surely our newest sporting heroine will only get better.

Until next week... OBF!