The 'World Cup' hype in Bangladesh
Although Bangladesh is unable to compete in the grandest stage of world football, the hype of the tournament is extraordinarily huge. No one would believe that we do not participate in the World Cup when they would see the hype of the tournament here.
Ranked at 192 by Fifa, by no means Bangladesh is considered as a 'great' or historical football nation. Those people in the modern world who are connected with football on a day by day basis, barely even know that a country called Bangladesh exists in the map of football. Bangladesh never qualified for the final stage of the World Cup qualification let alone playing in one. No one can dare to say that there is a chance in the near future for Bangladesh to play in the World Cup finals.
Although Bangladesh is unable to compete in the grandest stage of world football, the hype of the tournament is extraordinarily huge. No one would believe that we do not participate in the World Cup when they would see the hype of the tournament here. From the capital city of Dhaka to the port city of Chittagong, from Teknaf to Tetulia, from the megacities to the most remote areas, from the 5-star hotels to the village tea stalls, wherever you go, you would see such excitement covering the whole country at large. The flags of other nations fly so high that anyone would misinterpret Bangladesh as Argentina or Brazil or Germany or France or Spain etc. Some crazy people even paint their houses with the colors of their favorite team's flag.
People arrange watch along with friends and families. The person who never watches football or knows anything about it also gets affected by the football storm. The magic of the Fifa World Cup is so enormous that even being unable to participate does not matter much to the fans who support different nations. We spoke to some random people from several regions of the country and asked them why they support other nations in the World Cup while being kept away from cheering for their own country. And we got some amazing insights into the question.
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Rasseduzzaman Rony, 46, a social worker from Bogura, shared his remarkable journey of how he became a supporter of Argentina. His story takes us back to 1986, the year he first experienced the magic of the World Cup on television. "It was the first time we had a chance to watch the World Cup on TV," he recalled. "There was only one TV in our entire village, and it was in our house. People from neighboring villages would gather in groups to watch the matches. Since the TV was black and white, we couldn't distinguish the team colors, just shades of black and white. So, we divided into supporters of either the 'white team' or the 'black team,' sitting on different sides to cheer our chosen teams."
Rony's love for Argentina blossomed with Diego Maradona's incredible performances. "Maradona was everything to us, Argentina fans," he said. "For those of us who watched our first World Cup in 1986, we had no choice but to fall in love with Argentina because of one man—Maradona. He was a legend, the greatest player our generation had ever seen. The way he played was mesmerizing, and it felt like he single-handedly won that World Cup for Argentina. I've never seen a footballer as beautiful to watch as Maradona."
Istiaque, 26, a student at Rajshahi University, reflected on his journey to becoming a lifelong Brazil fan. "My first World Cup was in 2002," he shared. "Brazil won the championship that year, beating Germany in the final. Ronaldo Nazario scored both goals, and I was hooked. I fell in love with him and Brazil forever. That Brazil team was something special—Ronaldinho, Rivaldo, Roberto Carlos, Cafu, Kaka—the list goes on! For me, that team was the greatest national team of all time."
Just like these men, most of the people who support any team in the World Cup, fell in love with them after watching some mesmerizing stuff from some particular players from that team, such as Maradona of Argentina in 1986, Zidane of France in 1998, Ronaldo and Ronaldinho of Brazil in 2002, Andrea Pirlo of Italy in 2006 or Andres Iniesta of Spain in 2010.
Even in the most remote areas, the World Cup fever seems to cut through the minds of working-class people. These people barely watch club football which is next to not watching it at all but when it comes to the World Cup, it would feel like they are the best experts and pundits in analyzing the teams or the players.
Nurul Hasan, a tea seller from a village in Netrokona, shared his connection with football, particularly the World Cup. "Like most tea sellers, I have to work from 6 AM to midnight every day just to make ends meet. It's nearly impossible for us to follow club football with such long hours. Plus, we don't have the technical know-how to keep up with all the glamorous aspects of the sport," he said. "So, the World Cup, which comes around every four years, is our only opportunity to truly enjoy and follow this beautiful game. During the tournament, many people gather at my stall, sipping tea and chatting for hours about their favorite teams and players. Sometimes, I join the conversations too. We may not understand the game on a deep level, but I believe our emotional connection to it is just as strong as those who follow it more closely."
And with the 12-foot-long Argentina flag proudly displayed in front of his stall, Nurul's passion for the game is evident.
Just like them, a large part of the population of this tiny country drown themselves in the ocean of excitement attached to a Fifa World Cup. Whether a person is a businessman or a rickshaw puller, a student or a shopkeeper, a politician or a fish catcher or a farmer, emotion knows no boundaries while they support their favorite team or players. The Fifa World Cup always brings people of different classes of contrasting society under one belt, even though our very own motherland, Bangladesh has no hope to qualify for one in the near future. This is the magic of the World Cup, this is the universal enchantment of football.
