Jakob Alberti arrived in Houston last week with sore legs, a well-worn bicycle, and a story no other fan at the FIFA World Cup 2026™ can match. The 26-year-old from Karlsruhe, in southwest Germany, has spent 21 months pedalling through 27 countries across four continents — more than 25,000 kilometres — to be here for Germany's opening match against Curaçao on Sunday, June 14.

"It's probably the longest journey anyone has ever had to get to the World Cup," Alberti says, laughing as he leans his bike against the fence outside Houston Stadium.

An idea born from a documentary

The whole adventure traces back to a documentary Alberti watched with his mother about a cyclist crossing Africa. The film planted a seed that his studies in International Business and International Management, and several years working in marketing and sales, could not uproot — only water.

On 18 August 2024, family and friends gathered in Karlsruhe to wave him off. His plan was deliberately loose. "My general idea was just to head east," he says. "The rest fell into place along the way."

His route wound through Austria, the Balkan states, Türkiye, the United Arab Emirates, India, Thailand, and Australia before finally landing him on American soil. Whenever political developments or border regulations required it, he adjusted course based on the advice of fellow travellers. He also runs a marathon in every country he visits — because apparently 25,000 kilometres by bike was not quite enough.

Floods, deserts, and unexpected kindness

The most memorable stretch of his journey came in Thailand, where severe flooding left roads completely impassable. Alberti was stranded at a petrol station for a week, with water rising as high as his hips at times.

"But the locals remained incredibly positive," he recalls. "Someone cooked a meal for me every day. I will never forget that kindness."

Across all 27 countries, it was the people — not the scenery or the distances — that left the deepest impression. He was offered food, drinks, and places to sleep almost everywhere he went. In India, strangers stopped him constantly for selfies. Even on the Thai island of Koh Samui, he stumbled into a Karlsruher SC bar — a reminder of home on the far side of the world.

"To suddenly feel at home among fans on the other side of the world was something quite special," he says.

World champions — and then back on the road

With Germany's first game now within reach, Alberti has no hesitation when asked for a tournament prediction. "World champions," he says flatly. "After nearly two years on a bike, I can't predict anything else."

Whatever Germany's fate in the FIFA World Cup 2026™, Alberti's own journey is far from finished. After the tournament he plans to ride south down the US East Coast, then make his way back to Germany via North Africa and southern Europe — completing the full circle at the Karlsruhe Pyramid, where it all began.

Until then, he keeps pedalling, collecting memories across every kilometre — proof that the most extraordinary stories often begin with nothing more than a vague idea and a willingness to head east.