June 1, 2026 In a new series from The Athletic, ‘The Language of Soccer’, we spoke to supporters of all 48 participating nations in the men’s 2026 FIFA World Cup. Our aim is to capture each country’s unique fan and football culture, told through their voices.We asked these fans to come up with a single phrase that best encapsulates the experience of being a supporter of their national team. We then put the suggested phrases to a vote, using supporters’ groups and networks to gauge the opinions of as many fans as possible. The winning phrase is the one you will see below and around which each country's story is framed.This exploration of these nations’ rich and diverse football culture and traditions touches music, food, history, language, psychology and much more. We will be publishing all 48 articles before the World Cup begins, starting with one group per day and we will update this page as they come out.Written by Adam Leventhal, Carl Anka, Colin Millar, Dermot Corrigan, Eduardo Tansley, Elias Burke, Felipe Cardenas, Greg O'Keeffe, Gregg Evans, Henry Bushnell, Jack Lang, Jack Pitt-Brooke, Jacob Whitehead, Jay Harris, Jordan Campbell, Joshua Kloke, Max Mathews, Michael Bailey, Nick Miller, Paul Tenorio, Phil Buckingham, Sam Lee, Seb Stafford-Bloor, Simon Hughes, Thom Harris, Tim Spiers, Tom Burrows, Tom Williams, Tomás Hill López-Menchero and Ahmed Walid.Edited by John Stanton.Designed and produced by Kavya Beheraj, Eamonn Dalton and Jonah Smith.