Sofia Vergara called on the Hispanic community to experience a historic World Cup, in which that racial, political and religious differences be forgotten.
“This is a moment of having a good time, of happiness, of peace, of being companions, of being brothers (…) of having tolerance for each other. We are not enemies in the world, it is simply a sport“said the Colombian actress in an interview with EFE.
The artist claimed to be imbued with the intensity with which soccer is experienced in her native Colombia, which, according to her, is different from that experienced in the United States.
“The passion, the energy and what we have for that sport cannot be compared with what we have in this country.“, admitted the Barranquilla woman.
However, he assured that The presence of the Hispanic community in the US has been infecting Americans with the passion and Latin spirit for this sport, and that the World Cup has become a bridge that allows him to reconnect with the memories of his childhood.
“When I think about the World Cup I always think about how exciting it was when I lived in Colombia,” he recalls.
For Vergara, the World Cupwhich will start on Thursday, June 11, 2026 in Mexico, the United States and Canada, goes beyond a simple television sporting event and is presented as a ritual rooted in family heritage.
“We always like to eat, scream, fight. (The World Cup) is being with family and being able to have fun, and feel the energy, the emotion all together“he confesses.
Among his memories is the 1994 World Cup, which was held in the United States, a golden era for the Colombian team with figures such as René Higuita and Carlos “el Pibe” Valderrama.
“For us they were God and every game, every emotion of that World Cup was impressive.“, remember.
But Vergara has his favorite team for the 2026 World Cup and assures that he will support his country’s team: “My favorite team has to be Colombia, logically. Furthermore, this year we have James Rodriguezit seems that this is their last World Cup, and that is going to be something very emotional for Colombians,” he adds.
For a World Cup in Spanish
Vergara advocates experiencing a tournament with a Spanish accent, a key element in the current demographic context of the United States.
“It’s not the same in English. Yes, it’s fine, but hearing the goal shout with the people we know… Our language, our roots, everything is ours. For me the excitement of soccer as a Latino has to be in Spanish“without a doubt,” he argues.
And, in the middle of the biggest football party in the world, the Colombian take advantage to promote a public health campaign called “Check: Detect the SOS,” aimed at preventing diabetes, hypertension and kidney failure among Hispanics through a urine test.
“Latinos are a very large number of people who suffer from diabetes and of high blood pressure. And it is those people who are at risk of having kidney failure, of having a stroke, of having a heart attack and they do not know it,” he warns.
In a sport historically considered for men, Vergara observes with pride the rise and strength with which the players emerge.
“I didn’t grow up watching women playing soccer (…) At first it seemed like ‘oh no, it’s too abrupt for a woman’, but now I realize that we can do it just as well. People love it, I think they like to see more women playing soccer than to men,” he says.
The Colombian actress shared her message as an ambassador for Telemundo, a network that broadcasts the matches of the men’s and women’s national teams exclusively in Spanish throughout the United States until 2030.
With information from EFE.