Scouting & The World Cup

Right now, 16 of 48 nations are competing on soccer pitches across the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup – the first ever hosted by 3 nations and the first to feature 48 teams – began June 11 and runs through July 19. Billions of people worldwide are watching. And in living rooms, backyards, and Scout camps across America, Latter-day Saint families are watching too.

So let’s talk about what we’re actually watching.

Because the World Cup isn’t just a soccer tournament. It’s the largest gathering of human teamwork, sacrifice, discipline, and perseverance on the planet. And if you’re a Latter-day Saint Scouter, you already know another name for those things.

You call them values.

What the pitch teaches that can’t be coached in a classroom

My son (a Scoutmaster) and my grandson (a Star Scout) have brought me into the world of soccer/football – here’s what I see. Every player on that field trained for years before this moment. Not because a parent made them. Not because a coach stood over them every day. Because they decided that what they were building – in their body, in their skill, in their team – was worth the daily discipline of showing up even when nobody was watching.

A Scout is Obedient. A Scout is Trustworthy. A Scout does their duty. Those aren’t just Scout Law points. They’re what separates the teams that reach the final from the ones who went home in the group stage.

Teamwork is a covenant, not a strategy

The teams that win aren’t always the most talented. They’re the teams where 11 people have genuinely learned to trust each other – where the striker runs the channel not because they want the glory (perhaps) but because that’s what their teammate needs. Where the defender covers for the midfielder who’s out of position.

That’s not a formation. That’s charity.

The Scout Law calls it Helpful. Loyal. Kind. A patrol leader who serves their crew without needing to be the one who scores – that leader learned the same lesson every World Cup midfielder learns. The team is bigger than you. And the team only wins when you believe it and act like it.

Losing with grace is harder than winning

Every team that walks into a World Cup believes they can win. Most of them are wrong. And the moment they find out tells you more about their character than every match they won (don’t get me started on how graceful Japan was in the tournament).

A Scout is Cheerful. Not fake cheerful. Genuinely able to find something worth carrying forward even in defeat. As Latter-day Saints, we know that too. Discipleship doesn’t promise we’ll always win. It promises that how we play matters eternally.

Three things to do with your Scouts this World Cup

1) Watch a match with purpose. Pick any game and watch it looking for Scout Law values. Call them out when you see them – bravery, loyalty, grace under pressure. The game is full of them.

2) Talk about losing. When a team exits the tournament, have a real conversation. What does it mean to give your best and still fall short? How does that connect to faith and discipleship?

3) Connect it to their patrol. Ask your Scout: what would your patrol look like if every person played their role the way the best World Cup teams do? Every patrol has a formation. Good leaders know what it is.

The World Cup only lasts a couple more weeks. It won’t come back to North America for a long time. Use it.