ELGATO FAMILY : June 2026

The World Cup Is More Than Football

Every four years something special happens.

For most people, the FIFA World Cup is simply a football tournament. For our family, it is much more than that. It is a tradition, a celebration, a collection of memories, and an excuse to bring family and friends together.

This World Cup feels particularly special.

Back in 2014, one of my first dates with my wife involved watching Colombia play Brazil in the World Cup. Colombian supporters will remember that match forever. It ended in disappointment, but it became one of those moments that stayed with me. At the time, I never imagined that years later I would be sitting with my own children, preparing for another World Cup and sharing the same excitement I felt as a young football fan growing up in Colombia.

What makes this tournament different is that both Colombia and Scotland will be there.

As a Colombian who has lived in Scotland for more than twenty-five years, married to a Scottish woman and raising Scottish-Colombian children, that means a lot.

Scotland’s last appearance at a FIFA World Cup came in 1998. An entire generation has grown up without seeing Scotland on football’s biggest stage. For Scottish supporters, this tournament represents more than football. It represents hope, pride and the chance to dream again.

Colombia, meanwhile, continues a rich football tradition that has brought joy to millions. From the days of Carlos Valderrama and René Higuita to today’s stars such as Luis Díaz, Colombian football has always been about passion, creativity and belief.

Over the past few months, our house has slowly transformed into a World Cup home.

We bought new Colombia and Scotland shirts. We hung Colombian and Scottish flags both inside and outside the house. We bought a new World Cup football and a replica World Cup trophy. The children have helped decorate the house and count down the days until the tournament begins.

The football itself has become part of our own family competition.

The child whose team survives the longest without winning the tournament will take home the World Cup football as a prize. It is our way of keeping everyone involved right until the very end.

Then came the Panini album.

For football fans, opening a fresh packet of Panini stickers is almost a tradition in itself.

My children and I have spent months collecting stickers, opening packets, swapping duplicates and hunting for missing players. We have probably spent around £200 on the adventure, which is roughly 1.1 million Colombian pesos.

But the money is not what matters.

The memories do.

When I was growing up in Colombia, buying a packet of Panini stickers was not easy. I remember saving money, helping around the house and waiting for every opportunity to buy another packet. Each sticker felt valuable.

I get to relive that excitement through my children.

Watching them open packets, celebrate a rare sticker, trade duplicates and work together to complete the album has been one of the highlights of the year.

The album is filling up.

More importantly, so are the memories.

Alongside the sticker collecting, we organised a World Cup draw involving family, close friends, work colleagues, cousins, nephews, nieces and football fans from both sides of the Atlantic.

Everyone now has their teams.

Everyone believes they are going to win.

And everyone is already talking football.

We filmed the entire draw and turned it into a family video, capturing the excitement, the laughter and the friendly competition that only the World Cup can create.

The tournament may still be ahead of us, but in many ways it has already begun.

It began with stickers.

It continued with flags.

It grew through football conversations around the dinner table.

And now it is bringing together family and friends from Colombia, Scotland and beyond.

If you are collecting Panini stickers, let me know in the comments.