Thousands of fans are kissing strangers at this 2026 World Cup, and doctors have started speaking out. Fans from Mexico, the U.S., Switzerland, Japan, Korea, and DR Congo have produced viral images of rival supporters celebrating lip to lip.
But experts point out something that euphoria tends to silence: a kiss can transmit oral herpes type 1, infectious mononucleosis, cytomegalovirus, and even, in specific cases, meningococcus or syphilis with an active lesion. “The kissing disease” has its own name precisely because infections in contexts of mass celebration are not a rarity.
Is it reasonable to ask someone to be cautious when they want to celebrate a match they just won? Or does responsibility for one’s own health not disappear just because euphoria is involved?
