Editor"s Note:

　　In an era of profound global shifts and increasingly complex regional dynamics, a proper understanding of the world must be rooted in "grounded experience" and localized insights. Global Times English edition, in collaboration with the Academy of International and Regional Communication Studies, Communication University of China, is proud to launch "Local Insights," an English-language column dedicated to original, field-based observations.

　　We invite Chinese scholars and professionals who are studying, conducting exchanges, or working outside China, as well as international students and friends living and studying in China who are familiar with the social contexts of their home countries or third countries, to begin from first-hand field experience and engage with social, cultural, and contemporary issues beyond China. In the sixth article of this column, in a Brussels beer bar during the 2026 World Cup, the author finds that football, beer and live TV turn strangers into a temporary community - and that this shared ritual creates an emotional and economic value no algorithm can replace.

　　The Cathedral of Our Lady of Antwerp is one of the symbols of the Belgian city. Photo: VCG

　　During the 2026 FIFA World Cup, if you ask where the best place to watch a match in Brussels is, the answer will almost certainly be one of the many beer bars scattered across the city.

　　Known as the "crossroads of Europe," Brussels has long been a meeting place for different languages, cultures and ways of life. Yet once the whistle blows, many of those differences seem to fade beneath a more basic and spontaneous passion. The distance between French-speaking and Flemish-speaking communities, and between locals and newcomers, temporarily disappears in the light of a television screen.