Hyderabad: The lanes of Sainikpuri are dressed in the colours of the beautiful game, and one club has made sure nobody misses it. Vallavur Nagar Football Club has decked out its colony with massive posters of Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, and Lionel Messi, strung up flags across the streets, and held a rally to mark the opening ceremony of the FIFA World Cup 2026, a tournament the club’s football-devoted membership has been waiting for four years.
The neighbourhood buzz mirrors a wider football frenzy sweeping India as the tournament, which kicked off on June 11 across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, delivers its early share of drama and spectacle. The 2026 edition is the first to feature 48 teams, an expansion from the previous 32, making it the largest World Cup in history.
On the pitch, the tournament is already producing talking points by the day. Norway produced one of the most emphatic results of the week, thrashing Iraq 4-1 with Erling Haaland scoring twice. France defeated Senegal 3-1 with Kylian Mbappe, who became his country’s record goalscorer in the process, among the goals. Defending champions Argentina opened with a 3-0 win over Algeria, with Lionel Messi scoring a hat-trick, his first ever at a World Cup, to pull level as the joint all-time top scorer in the tournament’s history. England and Croatia played out a goalless draw in their Group L opener on Wednesday, while Portugal and DR Congo also finished 0-0 in Houston.
Brazil, the sentimental favourites in many Indian households, were held to a 1-1 draw by Morocco in an early result that set the tone for a competitive group stage. Germany has been the most ruthless side so far, battering Curacao 7-1.
The street-level excitement in Hyderabad’s northeastern neighbourhoods reflects a national mood. Across India, fans have transformed streets into visible celebrations of the tournament, from wall art in Howrah to football-themed displays in Kerala and a 15-foot installation built by seven youngsters in a Nagaland village.
With the group stage still unfolding and the knockout rounds weeks away, the flags on the balconies of Yapral and Sainikpuri are unlikely to come down any time soon.
