John Leguizamo’s World Cup Pep Talk Was Actually for Everyone Who’s Ever Lost

The 2026 World Cup quarterfinals start this week and FOX Sports brought in a ringer to get people hyped. Actor John Leguizamo showed up with a video that wasn’t your standard celebrity hype reel. It was something a little different.

Leguizamo has roots in both the U.S. and Colombia, so he had double reason to be invested. Colombia just got knocked out by Switzerland in a penalty shootout. That loss stung. But the actor didn’t sulk about it. Instead he turned it into something bigger.

Not your typical pep talk

The video opens with Leguizamo doing the standard “we made it to the quarterfinals” thing. That’s the version he would have delivered if Colombia had won. But then it cuts to the penalty shootout footage and he shifts gears completely.

“You know what nobody tells you about making it?” he says. “It is temporary. It’s been years climbing up to one moment. When it has finally arrived you look around, you catch a breath, and what’s next?”

He called the whole thing an Odyssey. Which is convenient since he’s starring in a movie called exactly that coming out July 17. But the timing worked. The speech kept going: “Every ending insists on becoming a beginning. The end that always felt out of reach is always right next to you. It’s tomorrow, no it’s today, actually it’s right now.”

That last part hit. Because Colombia really did have a hell of a run. They’re young. They’ll be back. Leguizamo knew the loss was fresh but he framed it as part of the process rather than the whole story.

What’s left in this tournament

The quarterfinal lineup is stacked. France takes on Morocco first. Then Belgium and Spain fight for a spot. England and Norway go head to head after that. And defending champions Argentina close things out against Switzerland — the team that just broke Colombia’s heart.

Eight games left until someone lifts the trophy. The tournament has been a blur so far. Upsets everywhere. Penalty drama. Late goals. All of it.

Leguizamo’s message basically applies to every team still standing. They’re all one bad game from going home. But every ending is also a beginning. That’s just how soccer works. And life too, if you want to get philosophical about it.

His video ends with clips of the remaining superstars. Mbappe. Haaland. Messi. The guys who will decide the next few games. Colombia’s stars aren’t in that montage this time. But if Leguizamo is right, their ending already turned into a beginning the moment that penalty shootout ended.