In the early hours of 20 July, thousands of Bangladeshis gathered around giant screens to watch Spain face Argentina in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final. From Dhaka University to neighbourhood streets, the country came alive with flags, chants and emotion. Although Bangladesh has never qualified for the World Cup, football united people across ages, professions and social backgrounds. It raises a powerful question: if we can mobilise such energy for distant teams, why can we not channel it into building a better Bangladesh?

A Passion Passed Through Generations

Bangladesh's attachment to Argentina and Brazil spans generations-from Pelé and Maradona to Messi. Television made team loyalty a family tradition, while social media magnified it through flags, processions and rivalry. This passion reflects the energy and desire for belonging among millions of young Bangladeshis who often lack meaningful opportunities for participation. Football gives them identity and community, while national life often leaves them feeling powerless. Supporting a team requires emotion; building a country demands organisation, responsibility and perseverance. We have cultivated a strong culture of spectatorship but a weaker culture of active citizenship.

The Energy Already Exists

Bangladesh does not lack energy; the World Cup proves it. We can mobilise people, raise funds and organise events with remarkable creativity and loyalty. The challenge is to give this energy a higher purpose. Nation-building begins when citizens perform their duties honestly, reject corruption, respect laws, protect public property and support their communities. Small, responsible actions, repeated by millions, can transform a nation.

One Nation, One Shared Responsibility

Football supporters may wear different colours, but they remain citizens under the same red and green flag. The ability of Argentina and Brazil fans to disagree without becoming enemies offers a lesson for our political and social life. Bangladesh has repeatedly demonstrated its collective strength-from the Liberation War to its response to natural disasters and poverty. Its next stage of progress will depend not only on government policy but also on responsible citizenship. Like football, nation-building requires everyone to respect the rules, understand the strategy and fulfil their role. Better education, honest institutions, safer communities and economic opportunity are responsibilities in which every citizen has a part to play.

An Action Plan for "Team Bangladesh"

World Cup enthusiasm will not automatically advance national development. Bangladesh could launch a non-partisan civic movement called "Team Bangladesh" to turn occasional unity into sustained public action through educational institutions, workplaces, businesses, local government bodies, sports clubs and community organisations.

1. Introduce National Service Hours

Students, professionals and other citizens could volunteer in tutoring, blood donation, tree care, cleanliness, elderly support, road safety and disaster preparedness. Verified service hours could be recognised by universities, employers and scholarship authorities.

2. Turn Supporters' Groups into Community Teams

Existing football supporters' groups could become community teams. Argentina, Brazil and Spain fans could compete in donating blood, cleaning neighbourhoods, returning children to school or recruiting disaster-response volunteers-making Bangladesh the ultimate beneficiary.

3. Make Educational Institutions the Training Ground

Every educational institution could adopt a local problem, such as school dropout, waste, traffic indiscipline or digital illiteracy, and engage students in practical solutions. Institutions achieving measurable results could receive national recognition.

4. Engage Businesses as Team Sponsors

Companies could direct part of their spending on screenings and celebrations towards playgrounds, skills training, environmental restoration and youth initiatives. Recognition should depend on measurable impact, not merely expenditure.

5. Give Every Profession a Position to Play

Nation-building also means performing regular duties honestly and competently. Teachers must teach well, doctors care responsibly, engineers build safely, businesses create decent jobs, journalists defend truth and public officials serve without harassment or corruption. Like football, national success requires every position to be played with integrity.

6. Recognise and Reward Those Who Deliver

Districts could annually recognise effective volunteers, civic teams, institutions and businesses based on verified results. The media should celebrate people and communities creating genuine social improvement. Society produces more of what it chooses to honour.

7. Measure Results and Publish Progress

Each team should identify a problem, set targets and report results. An annual public dashboard could track outcomes such as children tutored, blood donated, trees surviving and public spaces maintained, promoting accountability and healthy competition.

8. Keep the Movement Non-Partisan

"Team Bangladesh" must welcome every citizen regardless of political belief, religion, region or social background. An independent council representing educators, youth, sports, professions, business and civil society could protect its non-partisan character. The only qualification should be a willingness to serve Bangladesh honestly.

A Match That Never Ends

The purpose is not to regulate joy or diminish our admiration for football legends. It is to connect tournament-time unity with year-round responsibility. The approach is simple: organise teams, identify local problems, assign responsibilities, measure results and recognise achievement. Government can provide the framework, businesses the resources, educational institutions the volunteers and the media the recognition-but citizens must provide the commitment. Football teaches that passion alone cannot secure victory; success requires discipline, teamwork and accountability. When the flags come down and the jerseys return to cupboards, our collective energy should not disappear. Bangladesh already has the passion; it now needs a shared game plan. Let us roar together through our conduct, service and achievements-for a safer, stronger and better Team Bangladesh.

Major General (Retd) Md Nazrul Islam is a former executive chairman of BEPZA, a retired Major General of the Bangladesh Army, and a PhD researcher on technology, workforce transformation, and industrial competitiveness.