The start of a World Cup always has something special about it. For a few weeks, the world seems to stop and watch a single pitch. Jerseys multiply, national anthems are heard in different languages, and flags color stadiums and cities. Millions of people, separated by thousands of miles, share the same emotion.

Football has that unique ability to unite. In the stands, you can find people who have never met, who speak different languages, or who grew up in very different cultures. For ninety minutes, passion seems to break down barriers that remain standing in other areas of life.

However, while sport shows us the beauty of the encounter, reality once again poses uncomfortable questions.

In the days leading up to the World Cup, incidents arose involving immigration restrictions, entry difficulties for members of delegations, and questions about the treatment of people from certain countries. Beyond each specific case, a fundamental question emerges: are we capable of recognizing the same dignity in every person, regardless of their nationality, culture, or place of origin?

The question takes on particular relevance following Pope Leo XIV’s recent visit to the Canary Islands, one of the entry points for thousands of migrants to Europe. There, faced with the human tragedy of those risking their lives at sea in search of a better future, the Pontiff issued an appeal that challenges believers and non-believers alike: we cannot become accustomed to counting the dead, nor accept that the seas become “cemeteries without tombstones.” He also recalled a truth as simple as it is profound:  human dignity has no passport.

The Church has always maintained that human dignity does not depend on a border, a document, or immigration status. Every person possesses infinite value simply by virtue of being a child of God.

Pope Francis summarized this task in four verbs that continue to illuminate the Christian commitment to migration today:  welcome, protect, promote and integrate.

To welcome means to open the door and the heart. To protect means to defend the lives and rights of those in vulnerable situations. To promote means to create opportunities for each person to fully develop their abilities. To integrate means to build a society where no one is considered a stranger or disposable.

Football presents us with an interesting paradox. A player born in another country can be admired by thousands of people on the pitch. Their talent is celebrated without much questioning of their origins. However, outside the stadium, those who cross borders in search of work, security, or a future for their children often encounter suspicion, prejudice, or rejection.

The history of our people is marked by migration. This is also true of Argentina. Millions of families carry in their memories the stories of grandparents and great-grandparents who arrived from distant lands with little more than a suitcase and a hope. Thanks to them, communities, cities, and life projects were built that today form part of our identity.

Therefore, when we observe those who cross borders today, perhaps the first question should not be where they come from, but who they are.

And the answer always leads us to the same place: they are people with dreams, with rights, with unique stories and with a dignity that no one can take away from them.

Perhaps this World Cup can teach us more than just football. Maybe it can remind us that behind every flag there are people; behind every passport, stories; and behind every migrant, a real face that deserves to be recognized, respected, and loved.

Because borders can define territories.

Human dignity, on the other hand, knows no borders.