New York —

For more than a month, life revolved around kickoff times.

Calendars were rearranged. Meetings were moved. Lunch breaks became suspiciously long. Group chats operated around the clock, filled with memes, tactical analysis and predictions that aged poorly within minutes.

For millions of fans around the world, the men’s FIFA World Cup wasn’t just a tournament. It became a routine.

“You get off work every day and you’re like, ‘OK, 4 p.m., it’s game time,’” said Shreesh Byreddy as he celebrated Spain’s win over Argentina at Sunday’s watch party in New York’s Central Park.