Inside: Teaching La Copa Mundial in Spanish class. Resources to teach the 2026 World Cup in Spanish class. La Copa Mundial en la clase de español. Lesson plans for Spanish students in middle school and high school Spanish classes about 2026 La Copa del Mundo.
Author: Allison Wienhold
Originally posted November 14, 2022 & updated for Copa Mundial 2026 on February 19, 2026
Why Teach La Copa Mundial in Spanish Class?
The FIFA World Cup is an international soccer tournament that takes place every four years. The World Cup or La Copa Mundial is a great opportunity to teach your students about many cultures and to get them interested in learning about something that is very popular around the world. The 2022 World Cup is especially great since it is the first to occur during the school year. Here are some ideas on how to use La Copa Mundial to teach your students about diverse cultures around the world.
¿Qué es la Copa Mundial?
La Copa Mundial de la FIFA, conocida como el Mundial de Fútbol, es el torneo internacional de fútbol masculino más importante del mundo, celebrado cada cuatro años. Organizado por la FIFA desde 1930, reúne a las mejores selecciones nacionales para competir por el título de campeón, siendo uno de los eventos deportivos más vistos y populares. Es el deportivo más visto del planeta con más de mil millones de espectadores.
Ideas of How To Incorporate Copa Mundial in Spanish class
The World Cup 2026 takes place in North America from June 11 to July 19. Depending on how much flexibility you have in your curriculum, there are a variety of ideas. I would not suggest doing them all, but rather for optimal experience maybe pick one or two that work well with your situation and student interest.
For example, when I taught in small-town Iowa where I had one total student who played and watched soccer, I actually did a World Cup unit for the 2016 Copa Mundial. Most students were not super into the soccer aspect, but they did enjoy the competition and the music of the World Cup. (Many of the songs were in my early Música miércoles slides!) I think if the competition was actually taking place at that time, they would have been much more into it. So here are some Copa Mundial ideas for the end of the year in Spanish class.
This World Cup is spread through Canada, USA & Mexico. Guadalajara, Ciudad de México & Monterrey are all host cities in Mexico you could learn about. This is the first time the Copa Mundial has been hosted in a Spanish speaking place since Mexico hosted in 1986.
Plus, if you happen to be near a host city, this could be a real experience that students will be around this summer.
Copa Mundial Authentic Resources
Use authentic resources or cultural activities from Latin America to teach your students about the World Cup. There are tons of great blog posts, articles, and even YouTube videos about the World Cup that are written in Spanish. You could also learn about the history of the World Cup, first World Cup, best men’s soccer teams, formation of FIFA, or more.
Once the tournament starts, you can look for social media posts from Spanish speakers about the games. By using these authentic resources, your students will be exposed to real-world Spanish and learn about the World Cup from an authentic perspective.
Copa Mundial Authentic Interpretive Reading Practice
FIFA Copa Mundial Official Website in Spanish
Dónde ver la Copa Mundial FIFA 2026 gratis y en vivo: guía completa para fanáticos del fútbol – short article in Spanish
Grupos 2026 Copa Mundial – via fútbol hoy
México – #SOMOSMéxico Un hat-trick histórico – Spanish reading practice to learn about the Spanish speaking host, Mexico hosting for an historic 3rd time.
Las mascotas reading in Spanish
Official Schedule of 2026 Copa Mundial in Spanish – great novice practice of dates, days, months & numbers
Copa Mundial Authentic Interpretive Listening Practice
Conozca a las nuevas mascotas de la Copa Mundial de la FIFA 2026 | Noticias Telemundo
2 minute more advanced news
Todo lo que necesitas saber de la Copa Mundial de la FIFA 2026 – more advanced video that gives a lot of details in Spanish about the 2026 Copa Mundial
“SOMOS MÁS”, la canción oficial de Telemundo para la Copa Mundial
Canción para la cobertura en español: “Somos Más” interpretada por Carlos Vives, Wisin, Emilia y Xavi, presentada en los Premios Billboard de la Música Latina 2025. The official song below is mostly in English with some Spanish.
Desire (Official FIFA Anthem) – Robbie Williams (feat. Laura Pausini)
The official song is mostly in English, but part is in Spanish with Laura Pausini.
Other Copa Mundial Spanish Class ideas
World Cup Country Research
Another idea if you have more time is to have students research the countries that are playing in the World Cup. Unless you are proving explicit resources, this will most likely end up being a lot in English and would work well for an exploratory class that is not using Spanish as much. They can create slides or a poster with information about the country, language, flag, location, currency, the national dish, interesting facts, etc. This would be a great cross-curricular activity with a Social Studies class.
La Copa Mundial Bracket in class
You know I love a competitive bracket in Spanish class. (See mania musical – March Music Madness & Hispanic Heritage Month Music Bracket to learn more). So, another way to get your students engaged in La Copa Mundial in Spanish class is to create some friendly competition with a bracket. You can do this by dividing your class into specific teams in the World Cup. Then they could track the progress of their specific countries in the tournament. Here is a free printable 2026 World Cup printable bracket you could use.
Watch a Spanish language broadcast of La Copa Mundial
If you teach upper-level Spanish or heritage students, and teach in June, you could watch a portion of a Spanish broadcast of the World Cup. This is a great way to get them interested in watching Spanish-language TV, as well as to see authentic language in context. For the 2026 FIFA World Cup, watch all 104 matches in Spanish on Telemundo, Universo, and via live stream on Peacock and the Telemundo App. As the exclusive Spanish-language broadcaster, Telemundo Deportes provides comprehensive coverage. It looks to me that you can find Telemundo with Hulu Live or Youtube TV.
Use Past Copa Mundial Songs in Spanish
If you do not have much extra time, a small way to incorporate The World Cup 26 in Spanish class is to Copa Mundial theme your weekly routines of Música miércoles & Baile viernes! Dance. Below are a few past favorite songs in Spanish relating to the World Cup. They are not always the official song, and most include many languages.
La Copa De La Vida (La Canción Oficial De La Copa Mundial, Francia ’98) – Ricky Martin
Waka Waka (Esto es Africa) (Cancion Oficial de la Copa Mundial de la FIFA Sudafrica 2010) – Shakira
Waka Waka – Soccer Theme Dance for baile viernes
Wavin’ Flag – K`naan & David Bisbal Mundial 2010
We Are One (La canción official del Brasil 2014) – Pitbull & Shakira
FYI many small Carnaval outfits
Live It Up – (Sub Español) – Canción Oficial Russia 2018 – Nicky Jam feat. Will Smith & Era Istrefi
Just Dance 2020: The World Cup Girls – Futebol Crazy
(preview dance for your group)
Copa Mundial Music in Spanish Class Freebie
If you want editable Google Slides ready to use in class with 10 songs, sign up below to get them sent to your email.
Want a Sports Documentary to show in class? Try Pelotero!
Copa Mundial 2026 in Spanish class
The World Cup is a great opportunity to teach your students about many cultures, beyond just the Spanish speaking world. These are just a few ideas on how you can use Copa Mundial to engage your students with a culturally relevant event in 2026.
Right now, you might also be interested in Juegos Olímpicos 2026 in Spanish Class
