Mark Wilberforce

I'm Mark Wilberforce.

I'm a writer and a lifelong Arsenal fan.

But in this summer's FIFA World Cup, my loyalties are divided between Ghana and England.

The tournament is hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.

It's the first time the competition has been held across three nations.

For the documentary In the Studio from the BBC World Service, we wanted to explore the connections between language and the beautiful game.

But with millions of words to choose from, would this task be even trickier than picking a World Cup squad from your country's best players?

And who should write it?

Would a Brazilian poet be tempted to look back at the Great Pelé or a Norwegian get overexcited by Erling Haaland?

In the end, we went for someone whose team isn't quite in the Premier League.

Ian McMillan is a poet who lives in Yorkshire in the north of England, close to Barnsley Football Club, which chose him as their poet-in-residence 30 years ago.

Absolutely.

And that hope that you speak of is also the hope that so many nations heading to America are holding on to for dear life in terms of how they will fend at the tournament.

What do you think it's different between World Cup football, international football and domestic football that really captivates the hearts of the people?

Lee Herrick is now serving a second term.

He was the first Asian American to be given the role.

The World Cup often becomes a celebration of heritage as much as football.

How much can sport help people to reconnect with family history and culture and identity?

Have you actually ever been to a World Cup match before, Lee?

So Ian, with regards to in the studio, we asked you to come up with a poem for the World Cup.