The Accidental Communities of Summer 2026

In recent weeks across the world, moments of collective experience have turned strangers into communities. Football fans have formed unexpected bonds beyond borders, while Parisians seeking respite from the intensifying effects of climate change transformed a once-illegal swimming spot into a shared refuge.

The 2026 World Cup, which finished on July 19, was the first in history to welcome 48 countries. Four nations made their World Cup début, with Cape Verde becoming a favourite amongst international fans. Scotland, meanwhile, qualified for the first time since 1998, and their supporters – the Tartan Army – touched the hearts of Bostonian locals. Various stories on social media highlighted the connections formed between Scottish and American fans. They included Mike Morrison, whose post on X was viewed more than 9 million times, recording his adoption as an honorary member of the Tartan Army, which was staying at an Airbnb across the road from him.

The connection between Scots and Bostonians went so far as to culminate in the establishment of a sister-city partnership between Glasgow and Boston, signed by Mayor of Boston, Michelle Wu.

Beyond the World Cup, New York demonstrated the unifying power of sport. After the New York Knicks won their first NBA championship in June – their first in more than five decades – fans took to the streets for watch parties and a victory parade. A city often stereotyped as unfriendly was temporarily transformed into a place where strangers could celebrate a shared achievement together.

Henry Young, co-founder of grassroots football team Cowruna, based in East London, believes “there’s an amazing feeling you have when you go to watch football in a stadium. There’s a safety and togetherness you feel when you’re one of 36,000 people all getting behind the same cause, singing songs together and you get to look around at four sides of a stadium absolutely rocking.” He adds: “You often leave those sorts of places with a buzz and an energy about you.”

For Young, football’s value extends beyond what happens on the pitch; the team functions as a support network. “The best bit about football is the grass roots community […] we’ve used that community to make it something bigger than a weekly game of football and try to build a charity event.” Cowruna annually runs these charity events, having raised £14,157.42 for the Motor Neurone Disease Association last year in support of one of their teammates, whose father was diagnosed with the disease. 

Yet community is not only forged through sport and moments of celebration. It can also emerge through shared hardship. This summer, Europe was hit with a series of historic heatwaves. In June, temperature records were broken in four countries, and parts of France experienced temperatures hotter than those recorded in nearly 98.8 percent of the earth. Thousands of heat-related deaths were recorded across the country, air conditioning systems and fans were sold out in most department stores and the capital’s Hausmannian landscape took on an unusual appearance, with windows covered by aluminium survival blankets. 

Parisians, attempting to escape the heat, flocked to hotel receptions, bars and IKEA for air conditioning. City pools were overrun, with some having to close exceptionally for cleaning in light of the mass crowds. 

In response, Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire expanded opportunities for residents to escape the heat. Swimming in the Canal Saint Martin was legalised from June 22 to July 4 in certain areas between 3 and 9pm. When temperatures dropped below 40 degrees again, swimming was contained to Sundays between 2 and 6pm. These sessions will continue until August 30th. 

Canal Saint Martin was already a popular gathering place, but this summer it became busier than ever. During Fête de la musique, France’s annual nationwide celebration of live music, bridges had to be barriered off to discourage people from jumping into the water. Yet this did little to deter crowds. Cheers and applause came from hundreds of spectators below as they watched strangers take the plunge – a moment of collective excitement and defiance between those who had no prior connection. 

The relief from the oppressive temperatures was also accompanied by a sense of playfulness. Adults took to the water with inflatable rubber rings and children ran along the banks with water guns, chasing strangers and spraying anyone within reach. For children and adults alike, the atmosphere was infectious. In the middle of a summer defined by discomfort, the canal offered a rare moment of lightness.

François Thierry and Thomas Guillon, master’s students based in Paris who took to the canal for respite, recognised music as a key part of people coming together. Thierry recalls the various musicians who would come and play by the canal, stating that music acted as a “universal tool to create links between people.” Guillon, too, found that the canal was a “real place for exchange and sharing.” He says: “My friends and I met two guitarists who were sitting just beside us. We connected and played music together, it was a true moment of conviviality.”

Henrik Wasmus, researcher at the Central Institute of Mental Health in Mannheim, Germany, and lead author of an October 2025 study on youth’s climate change-related distress, says that coming together as a society in such moments encourages healthier, more resilient coping mechanisms for dealing with anxieties around climate change. “It makes action feel possible and less isolating,” he says. According to Wasmus, collective engagement can interrupt the process of dealing with climate-related fears in private, thus providing “orientation, shared responsibility, and concrete ways to act. In that sense, coming together can support healthier coping because it connects emotional processing with agency, belonging and action.”

Faced with the discomfort of sleepless nights, crowded cooling spaces and the constant search for shade, Parisians reclaimed an everyday public space as a place of communal leisure and resilience. Here, relief from the heat became an opportunity for social connection. As the effects of climate change become increasingly visible, particularly for younger generations growing up with its consequences, moments of connection can provide a sense of belonging and agency.

When asked about the role of community in mitigating climate anxiety among young people, Wasmus states that “finding people who take the issue seriously can counteract that feeling […] During crises such as heatwaves or floods, this kind of connectedness can make the situation feel less like an individual burden and more like a shared challenge that can be faced collectively.” 

Whether born from celebration or necessity, shared experiences can create a sense of belonging. As climate change continues to reshape everyday life, this sense of belonging becomes increasingly valuable. Beyond providing comfort, shared responses can create meaning and purpose. As Wasmus highlights, community “places one’s own contribution within a broader collective effort […] Meaning does not come from feeling personally responsible for solving the climate crisis as an individual. Rather, it can emerge from recognising what is within one’s reach and seeing that contribution as part of something larger”. Ultimately, these moments of community offer a way to face uncertainty together.