It’s semi-finals time at the 2026 World Cup, and that means I am also starting to realize it’s all coming to an end. Yes, the Three Lions are still in it. Yes, there are many magical moments still to come. But at the same time, very soon, there are going to be days without football again. And that makes me a little sad. Not for the usual reasons of no more games and daily news of one of the biggest sporting events on the planet. I am a little sad because it means going back to normal in terms of spending quality time with the teens.
It’s often said that sports are the one thing left that can still unite us all. The World Cup takes that to the next level. So it makes sense that it can do the same in our house.
For over a month now, we’ve just had stuff to talk about. Every day basically. Who played who, what happened in stoppage time, and whether that call was actually a penalty. Doesn’t even matter half the time. Even if it’s someone humming the little TSN bumper jingle, we are all hooked.
We’ve eaten more than a few dinners in front of the TV because of extra time and penalty kicks. A couple of times, we were out somewhere and just pulled the game up on our phones so we didn’t miss the result. Watching the Canada-Swiss game on someone else’s phone at our son’s Grade 8 graduation will always be a memory.
For many of the matches, my boys would end up on opposite sides of who was playing. I think it was mostly brothers being brothers and wanting to have a little conflict. Canada was the one exception, as we were all cheering for them every match day. And when England plays, they mostly stick with me, too, which I’ll take. I mean, my oldest’s name is Harry.
None of it needed producing. Sure, I would make a point that we all make picks, but it wasn’t mandatory family time. I didn’t make a whole thing out of it. We were a family who happened to be into the same thing at the same time, and that doesn’t happen as much as you’d think once your kids are teenagers.
There’s also something in watching the boys actually get into it. Not just tolerating it because dad’s watching, actually invested in how a game turns out. Knowing the player’s names. Knowing little tidbits that I did not even know. I like that they have their own interest level.
The World Cup only happens every four years, though, and that is part of what makes it so special and, in a way, a little sad. For the parent brain, four years can happen in the blink of an eye when you’ve got kids in the house.
By the next one, one of my two isn’t even going to be a teenager anymore. That is crazy.
And the other one’s going to be a different person as well as the one I just sat with in 2026.
So I’m trying to enjoy this World Cup and the time I am spending with my boys while it’s actually happening. Who knows what things will be like in 2030?
Let’s go England. It’s coming home!
