As Russia puts the finishing touches to the carefully manicured fields that will host the World Cup from next week, people around the globe are playing soccer on a surprising variety of makeshift pitches. Off the coast of an island in southern Thailand, they play on a floating platform; in the mountains of northern Italy, they kick about in the snow – images captured by Reuters photographers around the world. Here: Local residents play soccer on the top floor of a parking garage in Jakarta, Indonesia, May 4, 2018. (Photo by Darren Whiteside/Reuters)

The players of Denmark huddle prior to the FIFA Women's World Cup qualifier match between Denmark and Sweden at Viborg Stadion on September 4, 2018 in Viborg, Denmark. (Photo by Lars Ronbog/FrontZoneSport via Getty Images)

Hostesses pose for pictures outside the Great Hall of the People before a meeting ahead of Saturday's opening ceremony of the National People's Congress (NPC), in Beijing, China March 4, 2016. (Photo by Jason Lee/Reuters)

Students attend a stewardess skill training for the upcoming 2017 entrance examination for art majors in colleges in Luoyang, central China's Henan Province, January 4, 2017. Along with how to stand, how to sit is also covered in these classes. (Photo by Li Bo/Xinhua/Barcroft Images)

Tommy Liberto, known as Mr. Christmas Tree, crosses Seventh Avenue while visiting New York for the tenth year from Bel Air, Md., Wednesday, December 4, 2024. (Photo by Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Photo)

Harry Potter fan Emil Valkov, 7, from Bulgaria, who travelled to Britain with his family to attend the event for his older sister's birthday, poses for a photo at “Platform 9 3/4” during Back to Hogwarts Day at Kings Cross Station in London, Britain on September 1, 2023. (Photo by Hollie Adams/Reuters)

English social media influencer Grace Keeling, aka GK Barry, won over jungle viewers on I'm A Celeb with her down-to-earth personality to finish in fifth place. Grace went from being a normal student to having more than 4 million followers on TikTok. (Photo by Mark Hayman)

An Indian one-horned rhinoceros grazes on a dry wetland at the Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary on the southern bank of the Brahmaputra River in Morigaon district of India's Assam state on April 4, 2025. (Photo by Biju Boro/AFP Photo)