Talk to strangers about sports

Supporting a team is tribal, and everyone you know locally probably supports the same one. A stranger from another country follows a different league entirely, which turns a routine argument into an actual exchange — and lets you defend your club to someone who has never heard your excuses.

• The team you have suffered for and why you stay
• Rivalries that mean more than the trophies
• The greatest of all time debate, in whichever sport
• Matches you remember exactly where you were for
• Leagues worth following that get no coverage where you live

• “Team you would defend to the death?”Use this
• “Greatest athlete ever — no wrong answers?”Use this
• “A game you will never forget watching?”Use this
• “Most painful loss you have sat through?”Use this
• “A sport you wish more people watched?”Use this
• “Who is winning it this season?”Use this

• Ask which team they support and how they ended up with it. Family, city and one unforgettable match are the usual answers, and each one is a story.
• Talk about a specific moment rather than records. “What’s the best game you’ve watched live?” gets far more than “who’s the best team?”.
• If you follow different sports, ask them to sell you theirs. Fans enjoy explaining to a newcomer why their sport is the exciting one.

Rivalries are fun until they get personal, so keep the trash talk aimed at teams, not at the person. Betting tips from strangers are best ignored, and anyone pushing a betting app or a “sure win” is not there to talk sport. Also avoid assuming someone’s team from their country.