Countless cultures, one shared passion

June 19, 2026

Author:

Berlitz

How do different countries cheer on their soccer teams?

GOAL the World cup has started!

There not many things that connects the amount of people together more than the shared love for football. It does not matter if one grew up in, Brazil, Japan, Hungary or Nigeria. The last-minute goal, the missed penalty kick or the excitement of the finals, emotions around cheering and watching football remain the same. Football is a global phenomenon, not only in big stadiums or behind tv-screens, football brings together and leaves a mark on cultures and languages as well. The football world cup this year knows no bounds no matter who you are, you can cheer on your favourite team. This shared experience encourages many to get to know other cultures. This can happen in many ways: watching other nations play, listening to an international player's interviews or learning about the culture of a foreign team, is one of the most common first-steps to explore a new language and culture.

When football moves into the language

The effect of football, goes far beyond just sports. There are a great variety of expressions that we use in our day-to-day that originates from the football field.

In English for example we often hear about "moving the goalposts". Which literally means that someone moves the goalpost, the actual meaning behind this expression is about a scenario where, someone changes rules and expectations during an activity.

Similarly, from English we hear about "level playing field" which means equal opportunities and respectable circumstances for an activity or a game.

Germans often mention "ein Eigentor schießen” (to score an own goal) to express a scenario where, by making bad decisions, someone creates a disadvantage for him or herself.

French people use „être hors-jeu” (to be offside) when someone is not clear about something or has missed something.

In Spanish you would often hear „meter un gol” which not only means "to score a goal" but when someone has been skilfully scammed or tricked.

Goal celebrations are quite similar in many languages, but cheering takes on some very creative forms in many countries:

Language	Goal	Fan cheering sentence
English	Goal	It’s coming home! (the trophy)! You can read about the origin here.
German	Tor	Deutschland vor, noch ein Tor! Germany go fourth score another goal!
French	But	Allez les Bleus ! Come on Blues!
Italian	Gol	Forza Italia! Forza Azzuri! Italy fourth! Go Blues!
Spanish	Gol	¡Vamos España! Come on Spain!

The Portuguese language is especially rich in analogies from football, which is not surprising in a country where the sport is part of the national identity.

Brazil and the famous 7-1

Perhaps one of the most famous expressions comes from Brazil.

In the 2014 world cup semi-finals the Brazil national team has been bested by Germany: the game ended in 7-1. The shock was so significant that later on, this defeat became an everyday expression.

Today many Brazilians use the expression „Hoje foi 7 a 1” (The score was 7-1 for today as well) after a bad day, meaning everything went sideways. This football event not only became a part of football history but also a part of everyday vocabulary.

Interestingly this was not the only time a football event has left a lasting effect on everyday vocabulary. After losing the 1950 world cup the „complexo de vira-lata” expression found its footing in everyday language, meaning "mixed dog syndrome" this refers to the lack of national confidence. Football not only supplied words to the language but also shaped and helped express social and cultural events.

The Role of language learning in the world of football

Not many people think about, how modern football could not exist without the use of international communication. In a locker room of a world-class football team we can observe around 10-15 players all from different nationalities and backgrounds. Coaches and sports directors need to communicate in multiple languages with each other daily.

In the career of many players language learning serves a key role. When moving to a new country and a new team, it is simply not enough to just learn the tactical and strategy calls, it is important to learn the local language as well to make connections within the team and also, because you call this new country home for now, the other reason is to communicate with fans and interviews.

More languages more experiences

Language learning for football fans also offers unique benefits. You get the opportunity to watch football games broadcasted in the local language and follow the games, interviews, and after-match analyses in their native languages, get in touch with other fans using the learnt language, or even have an easier time making connections at the international games.

Maybe this is one of the strong suits of football, building bridges between people using languages and culture. While also bringing together different national backgrounds and cultures, it also reminds us that there is much more that makes us similar than different.

While we say "goal" differently the satisfaction and meaning remains the same.

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