KUCHING: The FIFA World Cup begins long before kick-off.
For 43-year-old Edmund Eng, it began the moment his plane descended into the grounds of Mexico City.
Even before stepping off the aircraft, the Singaporean football fan noticed members of the cabin crew wearing Mexico jerseys. Waiting for him inside the airport were FIFA World Cup banners, billboards and supporters proudly draped in their national colours.
After months of researching flights, hotels and match tickets for what is regarded as one of the most expensive FIFA World Cups to attend, everything suddenly felt real.
“That’s when I had that ‘Ahh… I’m finally here’ feeling.
“After spending so much time planning every detail, seeing the World Cup come to life right in front of me was a really special moment. It was the point where everything I’d imagined became real,” he recalled.
For Eng, it was the fulfilment of a dream decades in the making. Yet, what he discovered over the following days was that football’s greatest spectacle is about far more than what happens between the opening and final whistles.
More than 90 minutes
Growing up watching the FIFA World Cup from afar, Eng thought he knew what to expect. Nothing, however, could have prepared him for experiencing it in person.
“When you’re actually there, you really feel how passionate football fans are. Honestly, the whole city feels different.
“The moment you walk out of the airport, you can already feel the excitement. Everywhere you look, there are fans wearing their national team jerseys, people singing and World Cup decorations all over the city. It feels like the entire place comes alive,” he said.
The excitement only grew as he made his way to the stadium alongside thousands of fellow supporters.
“Everyone is singing, chanting and cheering together, and you can feel the energy getting bigger with every step. By the time you get to your seat, you’re already so pumped for the game,” he said.
And when a goal is scored?
“People celebrate like they’ve just won a million dollars.
“The atmosphere is something you just can’t experience through a TV screen,” he laughed.
The celebrations can be equally unforgettable. When one goal hit the back of the net, supporters around him launched their drinks skywards in jubilation – leaving Eng among those caught in the splash.
“I even kena a bit!” he joked.
“I got splashed too, but honestly, it just made me laugh. It was all part of the experience.”
For Eng, it was then that he realised the FIFA World Cup was never just about the football itself.
“It’s the whole journey – from the moment you arrive in the city to the final whistle, and being surrounded by people who all share the same love for football,” he shared.
One big football family
Before travelling to Mexico, Eng expected international football rivalries to mirror the fierce competition often seen in club football.
Instead, he discovered something entirely different.
“The World Cup felt completely different. In the fan zones and around the stadiums, it was more like a big family gathering than a rivalry,” he said.
Supporting both South Korea and Japan throughout his journey, Eng experienced first-hand how football transcends borders, cultures and languages.
Mexican fans warmly welcomed him whenever he wore a South Korea jersey, many still remembering South Korea’s famous victory over Germany at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, which helped Mexico progress to the knockout stages.
“People smiled, gave me a thumbs up and shouted ‘Korea!’ whenever they saw my jersey,” he said.
Wearing Japan’s colours brought equally heartwarming encounters. Several Mexican supporters spoke fondly of Japanese fans’ tradition of cleaning stadiums after matches, praising their respect and discipline.
“I loved seeing those moments because they reminded me that the World Cup is about more than just football. It’s about different cultures meeting, learning from one another and sharing a love for the game.”
Perhaps his favourite memory came before Mexico’s group-stage clash against South Korea. Long before kick-off, supporters from both nations were already singing, laughing and taking photographs together outside the stadium.
“Of course, everyone wanted their team to win once the game kicked off, but before and after the match, there was so much respect and happiness.
“Seeing football bring people together like that was something I didn’t expect, and it’s one of the things I’ll remember most from the World Cup,” he said.
Worth every kilometre
Travelling to football’s grandest stage was no small undertaking.
The journey to Mexico took almost 30 hours, while the trip home lasted close to 40 hours with multiple transits along the way. Yet every kilometre, Eng said, was worth it.
“Once I arrived, I completely forgot how tired I was,” he laughed.
“Being able to watch the matches live, experience the World Cup atmosphere and support the Asian teams on the biggest stage in football made every kilometre of the journey worth it.”
Although Singapore and Malaysia did not qualify for the tournament, supporting Asia’s representatives made the experience all the more meaningful.
The lifelong Tottenham Hotspur supporter was particularly excited to watch South Korean captain Son Heung Min in person, believing this could well be the forward’s final FIFA World Cup appearance.
South Korea’s campaign ultimately ended in the group stage after finishing third in Group A and missing out on a place in the Round of 32. Despite the disappointment, witnessing Heung Min lead his country on football’s biggest stage remained one of the highlights of Eng’s World Cup journey.
“I’m a huge Tottenham supporter, so the player I was most excited to see was Son Heung Min. Even though South Korea didn’t have the tournament they were hoping for, I was just happy to see Heung Min leading his country on the biggest stage,” he said.
Watching the matches live also offered a perspective television simply could not provide.
“TV lets you watch the match, but being there makes you feel like you’re part of it.
“You hear the crowd before anything even happens, you celebrate with thousands of people you’ve never met, and you notice the little things that the cameras don’t always show – families from different countries taking photos together, fans singing before kick-off and people making new friends because of football,” he said.
‘I actually made it’
Asked to describe his first FIFA World Cup experience in three words, Eng’s answer came immediately – unforgettable, unifying and emotional.
Unforgettable because it was a dream he had carried for most of his life. Unifying because football brought people from different countries together in ways he never expected. Emotional because of the countless goosebump moments that accompanied his journey.
Perhaps no moment encapsulated those three words better than when he paused to take it all in.
“It’s one of those moments where you stop for a second, look around, and think, ‘I actually made it.’ That’s a feeling I’ll never forget,” he said.
So unforgettable, in fact, that he is already planning for the FIFA World Cup 2030, which will be hosted across Morocco, Portugal and Spain, alongside centenary celebration matches in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay.
For Eng, however, his greatest takeaway from football’s greatest spectacle had little to do with the goals, trophies or results.
The FIFA World Cup, he discovered, is far more than 90 minutes of football. It is the songs that echo through city streets, the strangers who become friends, the cultures that unite through sport and the goosebumps that accompany the moments before kick-off.
And after spending a lifetime watching it from afar, Edmund Eng finally became part of the story he had always dreamed of.
After all, some dreams aren’t fulfilled at the final whistle – they begin long before kick-off.
