My 86-year-old mother stays up for every 2026 World Cup match, and keeps handwritten record of them all

At an age when many of her peers spend their time watching TV dramas or listening to traditional music, my mother, a retired bank official in Hanoi, has a different passion: football.

For decades, she has rarely missed a major tournament. To her, football is not simply a spectacle that comes around every four years with the World Cup. It is a year-round passion.

She follows everything from Vietnam’s V-League to the top divisions in France and Spain, as well as international tournaments across Asia. During the regular season, she always knows which clubs are in form, which players are injured, and which teams are fighting for titles.

So whenever the World Cup arrives, a familiar routine begins in our home.

She carefully writes the entire fixture list into a notebook, circling the matches she does not want to miss. Her alarm clock is set for games that begin in the middle of the night or the early hours of the morning.

And she doesn’t watch football simply for entertainment.

Beside the TV remote is always a small notebook. After every match, she carefully records the score, the goal scorers, yellow and red cards, and other memorable moments. She rarely misses a detail.

For her, documenting the matches she loves is both a source of enjoyment and a way to keep her mind active.

Her interest goes beyond what happens on the pitch. She keeps track of the players themselves, often knowing who has recently married, become a parent, or transferred to a new club before the rest of the family does.

This year’s World Cup has been no exception.

Whether it’s France against Argentina or any other marquee fixture, she insisted on watching the matches live, even if they started at two or three in the morning. Every brilliant goal and spectacular save earned enthusiastic applause. In those moments, she cheered with the excitement of someone decades younger.

What touches our family most is watching this 86-year-old woman remain so mentally sharp and full of enthusiasm. She followed every passage of play with complete concentration, wrote down the key moments after the final whistle, and eagerly discussed the matches with us the next day. Sometimes, her observations about tactics or individual performances surprised even those of us who follow football closely.

Football has become an inseparable part of my mother’s life. Her passion not only brings her happiness but also keeps her mind engaged, gives her something to look forward to every day, and creates conversations that bring three generations together.

The World Cup will eventually end, but her love for the game never does.

Our greatest wish is that she remains healthy enough to keep filling her notebooks with match results, staying up for the biggest games, and reminding all of us that curiosity and passion have no age limit.