Sofía Vergara is not just watching the 2026 FIFA World Cup — she’s hosting it, at least from her living room. The Modern Family actress, 53, has been mapping out viewing parties with food, music, and the kind of chaotic family energy that she says makes soccer in Latin culture something else entirely. And yes, empanadas are already on the menu.
What are Sofía Vergara’s World Cup plans for 2026?
Sofia Vergara will attend some matches in person this summer, though work commitments mean she cannot catch every game live. That’s where the home viewing parties come in. She’s not leaving the experience to chance either.“It’s food. It’s drinking a little bit, and dancing. That’s a World Cup,” said the actress, who will be cheering for her native Colombia in the tournament. “And the energy of the game, of the people — it’s going to be such an amazing month, I think, for everyone.” “I think if you have bad food, you’ll ruin it for me,” she said. “And I think also if you have bad lighting; if you’re in a really bright place that is not cozy, people never get into the mood.”For her, the atmosphere matters as much as the scoreline. She co-owns a Latin empanada brand called TOMA with her son, and naturally, those will be making an appearance. “My son and I, we have a very gourmet Latin empanada company, called TOMA, which is so easy,” she added. “That’s like the perfect party food, because you just have to warm it up and get them ready. And it’s very exciting because everybody loves them. I always run out, actually.“Beyond the snacks, Vergara points out that big family gatherings during the World Cup are also a rare window to have honest health conversations. Through her partnership with Boehringer Ingelheim’s Detect the SOS campaign, which promotes a uACR test for early detection of complications tied to diabetes and high blood pressure, she sees tournament time as an opening. “It’s hard to talk about health with your family and your loved ones, because nobody wants to hear it,” she said. “I think it’s the best opportunity to do things like that.”
Why is the 2026 World Cup so personal for Sofía Vergara?
Sofia Vergara grew up in Colombia, where soccer is not entertainment. It’s a pause button for the entire country. “The whole country gets paralyzed when there’s a good soccer game,” she said. She has been based in the United States for years now, and the tournament has taken on a different kind of meaning for her in that time.“But now that I’m away, the World Cup is when it happens now because the important thing is that we get together, or I go to Miami or they come here,” she told The Sporting News.The 1994 World Cup, which was held in the United States, left a permanent mark on her. She still speaks about players like Carlos Valderrama, René Higuita, and Faustino Asprilla with visible reverence. “For us, they were like gods, and every match, every emotion from that World Cup was incredible,” she said.Colombia’s 2026 squad carries that same weight for her. James Rodríguez, in what could be his final World Cup appearance, is the thread connecting the generations. “It seems like this could be his last World Cup, and that’s going to be very emotional for Colombians,” Vergara said.
Does Sofía Vergara watch Soccer in english or spanish?
There is no debate here. “It’s not the same in English,” she said plainly.For Vergara, the language of the broadcast shapes the emotional experience. “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.”That sense of cultural ownership runs through everything she described — the food, the family arguments, the noise, the lighting. “Because when you’re together, that’s when you really get to enjoy each other and eat, and fight, and complain and it’s fun,” she said.The World Cup, for Vergara, is not just a tournament. It’s the occasion that pulls Colombians back to each other, wherever they happen to be in the world.
