Former US national team member highlights league unity generated by FIFA World Cup

Former US Men's National Team Defender Greg Garza has shared his excitement about the ongoing 2026 FIFA World Cup, saying it highlights the spirit of unity even between former rivalries.

The World Cup officially began on Thursday with an opening ceremony at the Azteca Stadium that celebrated Mexican culture and the tournament's return to the historic venue.

The expanded 2026 tournament is set to be the biggest ever World Cup, featuring a record number of 48 teams and seeing the competition hosted by three nations for the first time, with matches taking place in Mexico, Canada and the United States from June 11 to July 19.

In an interview with China Global Television Network, Garza said the excitement of football lovers in the three host countries is beyond description.

"Not sure if there are any words can describe this excitement that you see on the streets, in the communities, bringing people together, using our league stadiums for this World Cup. Just bringing three nations together that, even though you have sometimes those rivalries within, but coming together, playing as one and I think. Just the excitement around the streets, you can already tell we're all so happy for this to finally happen," he said.

Garza recalled the development of football in the U.S. since the last World Cup held in the country 32 years ago.

"The promises that were made by this league and our commissioner, Don Garber, of hosting once again, and that this league was going to flourish and grow and be something exponentially, that has really taken over in terms of bringing top talent, top players, superstars, icons, and just becoming a very competitive league in itself. So to see that growth of what it was back then in the early times of the 90s and now what it is today, just the exponential growth is fantastic," the retired star player said.

He added that the legacy of the World Cup goes beyond football itself, noting the profound unity among people and nations that it creates.

"I think the legacy of what today's World Cup is, is just the diversity and the community and the unity of what we have in this country and in these three nations. You have three nations that are coming together that are putting on an absolute spectacle with this league involved, with all leagues involved that are creating this unity along with their rivalries, but this unity and growth of what soccer can be in this nation. And I think the sky has the limit. You still have so much room to grow. But just I think this proof in the pudding that there has been so much success already been made," he said.

Former US national team member highlights league unity generated by FIFA World Cup

Former US national team member highlights league unity generated by FIFA World Cup

The Meishan Area of the Giant Panda National Park in southwest China's Sichuan Province has recorded frequent appearances of wild giant pandas in recent months, reflecting the growing vitality of the local panda population and the ongoing improvement of their habitat.

The latest footage, captured by infrared cameras in the park from mid-March to mid-May of this year, recorded the pandas' daytime and nighttime activities on five separate occasions. Some of the pandas were seen roaming alone in the forest, while others were seen foraging and resting.

According to monitoring data, the frequency of wild giant panda sightings in the area has increased significantly this year, and the population has become increasingly active, fully confirming that the giant pandas in the region enjoy excellent habitat conditions and are growing steadily.

Thanks to habitat restoration efforts by local authorities in recent years, the area has witnessed steady improvements in ecological quality, continued expansion of high-quality habitats, and significant increases in the vitality and activity range of wild giant pandas.

The monitoring system has also repeatedly recorded the activities of rare wildlife such as red pandas and markhor, indicating an increasingly diverse biological community and fully demonstrating the remarkable achievements in biodiversity conservation in this area.

"Moving forward, we will continue to leverage the smart monitoring system to further strengthen the protection of giant panda habitats, improve the construction of ecological corridors, conduct precise monitoring of wild populations, and elevate biodiversity conservation efforts in the Wawushan area to new heights," said Yan Fuquan, head of the education and protection office of at the Meishan management bureau of Giant Panda National Park.

The Giant Panda National Park was officially established in 2021, spanning the three provinces of Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu and covering about 22,000 square km.

Since its establishment, about 72 percent of wild giant pandas have been placed under strict protection. The protected area for the panda habitat has increased from 1.39 million hectares to 2.58 million hectares. The park has integrated 73 nature reserves across the three provinces, connecting the habitats of 13 local panda populations. In addition, six ecological corridors have been built to allow pandas to move freely within the region.

Thanks to China's systematic action to better protect its national treasure, the wild giant panda population in the country has grown from about 1,100 in the 1980s to nearly 1,900, according to the 2025 data from the National Forestry and Grassland Administration.

Frequent wild panda appearances reflect habitat improvement in China's Sichuan