World Cup Soccer & Friendships

The World Cup is here. And this year, some of the games are happening right in my backyard, here in Canada. The whole country is buzzing.

Last week, my son Tristan made plans to watch Portugal play Croatia with his buddies at a live watch party in Vancouver.

One of his friends, Joey, has Portuguese roots. Cheering for Portugal runs in his blood. And his hero, Cristiano Ronaldo, was playing.

Then, on the day of the game, Joey did something wild. He grabbed last-minute (super expensive) tickets, hopped on a plane across the country to Toronto, and went to see his hero play live. In person. On home soil.

So Tristan and the rest of the boys went to the watch party without him.

Here’s the part that I love.

Tristan told me that cheering for Portugal felt different that night. It felt special. Not because the boys necessarily cared about Portugal. Most of them were neutral.

They were cheering because they wanted Joey, sitting in that stadium in Toronto, to have the night of his life. They wanted his hero to win for him.

They were cheering for Joey.

The Most Underrated Relationship We Have

That story has stayed with me all week. Because that’s what real friendship looks like. Wanting someone else’s joy so much that it becomes your own.

We talk a lot about marriage. We talk a lot about parenting. But friendship? We treat it like a nice extra. Something we’ll get to once life slows down.

Friendship isn’t extra. It’s essential.

Friends are the ones who pull us up when we fall. They sit with us when we’re down. They cheer the loudest in our biggest moments. Sometimes they’re even happier for us than we are for ourselves.

What Science Says About Friendship

A psychologist named William Chopik at Michigan State University studied nearly 280,000 people across almost 100 countries. What he found surprised even the experts.

Friendships become more and more important to our health and happiness as we move through life.

And here’s the stunning part. For older adults, friendship was a stronger predictor of health and happiness than family relationships.

That’s right. Stronger than family.

Chopik’s research showed that when friends were a source of support, people were happier and healthier. His advice? Invest deeply in the few friendships that make you happiest.

Why would friendship matter this much?

I believe it’s because friends are chosen. Nobody has to be your friend. They pick you, again and again, on purpose. And there is something deeply healing about being chosen.

And yet, friendship is usually the first thing we let slide when life gets busy. We tell ourselves our friends will understand. And they do. But something quietly fades that was never meant to fade.

How to Be a Better Friend Today

You don’t need grand gestures. You need small, sincere ones.

Reach out first, without keeping score of who called last. Show up on the random Tuesdays, not just the weddings and funerals.

When your friend wins, cheer loudly and let their joy become yours. That’s what Tristan and his buddies did by instinct. They weren’t just happy for Joey. They were happy with him, from thousands of miles away.

And tell your friends what they mean to you. We save the important words for milestones and eulogies. Don’t wait. Say them now, while they can still land.

So here’s my challenge for you today. Think of your Joey. The friend who would light up to hear from you. Send the text. Make the call. Cheer for them out loud.

P.S. By the way, Joey had the time of his life. Portugal won 2-1, and he got to watch his hero play live. But honestly? I think Tristan and the boys back home were even more excited than he was. That’s friendship. Now go find your Joey and send that text.