Ahead of the FIFA World Cup, Sofia Vergara, a Colombian actress and Telemundo ambassador for Spanish-language coverage, says the tournament’s emotion is inseparable from Spanish—especially the goal calls and the memories that shaped her love of soccer.
As the FIFA World Cup inches closer, Sofia Vergara is already back in her own world—the kind built from family dinners, shouting at the TV, and hearing a goal called in Spanish.
The Colombian actress. known for “Modern Family” and “Griselda. ” is serving as an ambassador for Telemundo’s Spanish-language World Cup coverage. In an interview with EFE. she spoke about what keeps soccer from feeling like just a game for Latino fans: it’s tradition. it’s culture. and it’s the shared emotional life that comes with following a team.
“It’s a time to have fun, to be happy, to be at peace, to be companions, to be like brothers and sisters, and to be tolerant of one another. We are not enemies in the world; it’s simply a sport,” Vergara said.
Born and raised in Barranquilla, Colombia, Vergara said the intensity of soccer in Latin America is hard to recreate elsewhere. She pointed to the United States directly when describing the difference—one tied to the language people hear and the way the sport is lived day to day.
“The passion, the energy, and what we have for this sport cannot be compared to what exists in this country,” she said, referring to the United States.
Still, Vergara acknowledged that soccer’s popularity is growing across the U.S., boosted in large part by Hispanic communities who have carried their love of the game with them.
When she thinks about the World Cup, she doesn’t start with stadiums or highlights. She starts with childhood. She recalled how the moment of a goal—what it sounds like and who it sounds like it’s coming from—can transport her straight back to Colombia.
For Vergara, “the excitement of hearing a goal call in Spanish is an important part of the World Cup experience.” She said the atmosphere can’t be compared when the language shifts.
And the memories aren’t only personal; they are also anchored to specific players and tournaments. Vergara said she’s especially aware of the emotional stakes for Colombian fans because of James Rodríguez’s potential final World Cup.
“Whenever I think about the World Cup, I always think about how exciting it was when I lived in Colombia,” she recalled.
Her recollection turned to the 1994 World Cup, which was hosted in the United States and included some of Colombia’s most iconic players: Faustino Asprilla, René Higuita, and Carlos Valderrama. Vergara described those figures as something larger than athletes.
“For us, they were like gods, and every match, every emotion from that World Cup was incredible,” she said.
She said the tournament’s pull is rooted in family habits and shared rituals. “We always love to eat, yell, argue, and celebrate. The World Cup is about being with family, having fun, and feeling the energy and excitement together,” she said.
Vergara made it clear she’ll be cheering for Colombia throughout the competition. calling the team her “favorite team… of course.” She added that “this year we have James Rodríguez. ” and that it “seems like this could be his last World Cup. ” something she said will be “very emotional for Colombians.”.
Her most passionate comments came when she explained how she prefers to watch. “It’s not the same in English,” Vergara said.
“Hearing the goal call from the people we know, in our language, with our roots—everything belongs to us. For me, the emotion of soccer as a Latino has to be in Spanish, without a doubt.”
For Vergara, that’s the heart of the World Cup: a tournament that can reach across borders, but still carry the weight of home—culture, family, and community—no matter where fans are watching from.
Sofia Vergara FIFA World Cup Telemundo Spanish-language coverage soccer Colombia James Rodríguez Barranquilla Faustino Asprilla René Higuita Carlos Valderrama