'30 years later, I'm finally going': Meet Worchihan Zingkhai, 40-year-old Indian football fan who is all set to fulfil his dream of watching a FIFA World Cup in person

In India, many grow up with dreams larger than their realities allow. From becoming a cricketer to watching a football match in person, Indians live and breathe sports and many are obsessed enough to make them their entire lives. One such man is Worchihan Zingkhai, a content creator from Manipur who has grown up dreaming of watching a FIFA match in person.In a conversation with Business Insider, the 40-year-old recounted how his love for football began in his childhood. Children in his village would make footballs out of plastic and old clothes rolled into a ball and the entire village pooled money to buy a generator for one black-and-white TV, all to watch the World Cup in 1998. That year, he stayed up till 3 am to watch his first World Cup and ever since, he has watched every one on the television."I've loved football for as long as I can remember. I became a fan of Portugal and later followed the Premier League," he said. "However, attending a World Cup match in person always felt impossible. Now, nearly 30 years later, I'm finally going," he added.No journey is complete without hurdles and Zingkhai has his own. For him, the trip involves more than just buying the match tickets. His village is at 5,600 feet above sea level with no airport nearby. Thus, he will have to drive about six hours to Imphal, before flying out to New Delhi, London, Washington, D.C., and finally Atlanta. In total, he will be taking four flights and will be spending about 27 hours in the air.As a content creator who makes videos for YouTube, Instagram and Facebook, he had planned on buying a laptop for video editing. He had shortlisted models costing between $2,200 and $2,500 (around ₹210,000 and ₹238,000). But since he could not afford both, the laptop and the World Cup trip, he is forgoing buying the former.This trip is a family effort, he shared, since in his area, many earn Rs 500 a day. His father-in-law paid for their flights from New Delhi to Washington while his in-laws are helping with accommodation in the US. "My family has cut back on other purchases and avoided additional trips to help make this World Cup journey possible," he shared.Moreover, getting hands on the tickets was a struggle in itself. "I entered FIFA's ticket sale in February with a budget of $350 per ticket. My dream was to watch Portugal, England, or Argentina," he said. With 15 minutes to buy the tickets, he spent too much time comparing options since he found the Portugal tickets he wanted costing between $450 and $650, and lost the chance. “I thought that was the end of my chance at the World Cup,” he said.However, he was able to buy two category-three tickets in April for the Czech Republic versus South Africa in Atlanta for $140 each, one for him and one for his father-in-law. Now, he is all set to watch the FIFA World Cup 2026, alongside his father-in-law, fulfilling a dream of 30 years.