Why F1 drivers are just as excited as everyone else about the start of the FIFA World Cup

It's an exciting time for football fans as the 2026 FIFA World Cup officially kicks off on Thursday, June 11, with the first match in Mexico City.

The expanded 48-team tournament stretches across six weeks and, as well as the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix weekend, it also encompasses the Austrian, British and Belgian Grands Prix too.

That means a lot of F1 folk with a passion for football will be combining their day jobs with keeping a close eye on what’s happening on the other side of the world.

That includes many of the drivers, some of whom have displayed their own talents in charity matches such as the one traditionally held on the Wednesday before the Monaco Grand Prix.

When Arsenal played Paris St Germain in the recent UEFA Champions League final football fans Lewis Hamilton and Pierre Gasly were keen to show their support for their respective teams, but the World Cup will be on another level.

If you count Alex Albon’s English DNA then 19 of the 22 drivers on the grid have a direct interest in the tournament as their home countries are participating.

The outliers are Charles Leclerc, Valtteri Bottas and current Drivers' Championship leader Kimi Antonelli. Along with tennis superstar Jannik Sinner the Mercedes driver is flying the tricolore for his countrymen this summer after Italy failed to qualify for the tournament that they have won four times.

A keen follower of his local Bologna team, Antonelli admits that his loyalties are now divided. “I don't know who I'm going to cheer for, to be fair, for the World Cup,” he says.

“Obviously, there are a lot of players that I cheer for. Personally, I do really like Brazil, for example, the way they play the game. Also when I was little, I really liked, when they were playing for Barcelona of course, Ronaldinho and Lionel Messi.

“Definitely, I like Brazil. So if they will do well, I would be happy for sure. But again, I'm also cheering for Messi, he was my one of my favourite players when I was little, and also I got to meet him in Miami.

“I think it's going to be a cool event, even though Italy is not in it, unfortunately. So we're going to wait another four years, maybe. I'm going to be watching pretty much all the games, because it's just super cool.”

Another driver with an interest in Brazil is Max Verstappen, via his partner Kelly Piquet. The former World Champion also has Belgian roots through his mother Sophie, but he has no doubts about where his true loyalties lie, despite his other family connections.

“I support of course Holland,” he says. “That's my team and my country. So naturally, of course, you would like to see them do very well. And if there is any kind of rivalry, then let's see what shirt will be worn on the couch. Mine will be orange...”

For the rest of the drivers it’s pretty clear cut as to where their support lies. Few are as excited as Sergio Perez, who hopes to use the gap between the Spanish and Austrian Grands Prix to take his son to see Mexico play South Korea in his home town of Guadalajara.

“I am pushing really hard,” he says. “I'm trying to figure out my schedules to make sure, because I will be in Europe, and I literally have to come just for the game, and then go back to Europe. But we will make it happen.

“The national team is very new, it's like a new generation, so let's say it's not the ideal scenario at the moment. But it's a World Cup at home, anything can happen, and we have some really good players, so it can be a good surprise.”

Franco Colapinto, who met Messi in Miami, has also been eyeing the schedule. In theory the Alpine driver could take in one of Argentina’s early games in the USA.

“I think football in Argentina, it's the number one sport,” he says. “And the passion there is insane. The Argentinians are also very different to the rest of the world in terms of how they show their passion. In football, it's shocking. When you go to see a match in Argentina it's an experience I would like everyone to get once at least, because it's a different level and difficult to explain!

“It's of course, a very important moment that it happens every four years, and we are all waiting for it and trying to enjoy as much as we did the '22 World Cup in Qatar. I think it's going to be very tricky. It's always the best teams, the best players, competing against each other, and preparing for a very long time. So it's going to be tough, but I think definitely a lot of enjoyment.”

While Perez and Colapinto want to be there in person, that’s not on the radar of their fellow Latin American Gabriel Bortoleto, despite his country’s status as one of the favourites.

“I'm not going to try it,” says the Audi driver. “There are a lot of things happening right now, so at least from my side, I need to shift all my focus I have to stay with the team, and try to improve some areas. But I will definitely be cheering for Brazil and watching most of the games on the TV or on my phone. But I think it's difficult to fly to the US to watch a game!”

One man who will be following the action but with less emotional involvement than some of his peers is Leclerc.

"Sorry to disappoint you, I know literally nothing about football!,” says the Ferrari ace. “I actually enjoy watching the games, but to tell you, ‘I think this team is going to win against the other,’ I have no idea.

“So I don't have much preference. I'll have loved Italy to be part of the World Cup. France is there, and I'll probably like see to see Cristiano [Ronaldo] win a World Cup before stopping. I'll just enjoy it, being quite neutral about it, because I don't follow it that much…”