Football in Public Squares Around the World: Does the World Cup Create Social Capital?

 When Koreans think of football, there is one unforgettable moment that comes to mind: the 2002 FIFA World Cup co-hosted by South Korea and Japan.

 

I was a high school student at the time. Normally, we would have been studying during evening self-study sessions, but whenever a World Cup match was on, teachers and students gathered together to watch the broadcast and cheer. Whenever South Korea scored a goal, people hugged each other and jumped with excitement. Some students were even moved to tears. We celebrated together and shared the joy together. Even decades later, those memories remain some of the happiest moments of my youth.

 

Today, the FIFA World Cup is once again capturing people's attention. While the atmosphere may not be as intense as it was in 2002, many people are still gathering to support their national teams. Recently, I watched a news interview in which a high school student said that cheering together with friends was so enjoyable that it was the first time in his life he had experienced such a feeling.

 

Thinking about it, that makes sense. In the past, people spent more time with neighbors, friends, and members of their communities. Modern Korean society, however, often feels more cautious about participating in collective activities. Perhaps for that student, sincerely cheering for something together with friends was a completely new experience.

 

The World Cup Has the Power to Connect People

 

There are many ways to view the World Cup, but I would like to approach it from the perspective of relationships and connection.

 

During the tournament, many people leave their homes and gather in streets, restaurants, and public squares to support the same team. In Seoul, for example, large public viewing areas have been set up in Gwanghwamun Square whenever the Korean national team plays. When South Korea faces South Africa on June 25, many people will likely gather there once again.

 

Most of the people who meet in these public spaces are strangers. They do not know each other's names, occupations, or backgrounds. Yet they cheer together, celebrate together, and share disappointment together.

 

Even for those who do not attend public viewing events, the World Cup naturally becomes a common topic of conversation. In that sense, the World Cup is a massive social event that gives millions of people a shared experience.

 

Experiencing the same emotions and moving together as part of a crowd becomes a powerful ingredient for building community. Offering water to a stranger, exchanging high-fives after a goal, and celebrating together all help create human connections.

 

As individualism continues to grow in Korean society, the World Cup serves as a rare occasion that brings people together. It demonstrates a remarkable ability to unite people around a common experience.

 

The Similarities Between the World Cup and Social Impact

 

As I have mentioned many times on this blog, the social impact sector is built on relationships and connections between people. Social impact initiatives can only be sustained and expanded when trust and participation exist.

 

In that sense, the work of social impact organizations shares similarities with World Cup cheering culture, even if the scale is different. Both create opportunities for people to connect, share experiences, and build trust.

 

This is why I chose the title, "The World Cup Creates Social Capital."

 

The concept of social capital, developed by sociologist Robert D. Putnam, refers to intangible assets such as trust, social norms, and networks that enable people to cooperate and achieve shared goals. Put simply, social capital is the trust and connection that exist between people. Societies with higher levels of trust tend to have stronger cooperation and healthier communities.

 

Of course, while the World Cup strengthens relationships, trust, and social connections, it is still a temporary event. Once the tournament ends, people return to their everyday lives.

 

This raises an important question for the social impact sector: How can the social capital created during the World Cup be transformed into lasting, everyday systems of connection?

 

Perhaps one of the key challenges for changemakers is finding ways to channel the enormous energy of collective connection that the World Cup generates into communities and social impact initiatives.

 

Knowing Someone Is Not What Matters Most

 

The World Cup is certainly a competitive sporting event, but it is also a large-scale social experience that connects people.

 

Throughout the process of cheering, celebrating, and feeling disappointment together, invisible social bonds are formed. People who lived through the 2002 World Cup in Korea still become excited when they talk about those matches. They share memories and stories from that time with one another. Even if they have never met before, the fact that they experienced the same moment creates a sense of connection.

 

There are limits to artificially creating relationships between people. The World Cup, however, brings people together naturally. It motivates people to move, participate, and connect.

 

The World Cup is more than a sporting event. It is a powerful social experience that unites people and creates shared memories. The social impact sector also works to connect people. The difference is that while the World Cup creates connections for a few weeks, social impact organizations seek to build and sustain those connections throughout everyday life.

 

Perhaps what deserves our attention is not only the final score of a match, but also the power of human connection that the tournament generates. And that power remains valuable long after the World Cup has ended.

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