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)

An Aston Villa fan outside Villa Park before the side’s Premier League match against Liverpool in Birmingham, Britain on May 13, 2024. The game finished 3-3, shoring up Villa’s hopes of a top-four finish and a Champions League spot for next season. (Photo by Carl Recine/Reuters)

A Pakistani farmer guides his bulls as he competes in a traditional bull race in Khunda village in the northwestern district of Attock, some 80 kilometers from Islamabad on January 3, 2015. Tens of thousands of people gather whenever there is a bull race held in Pakistan which are usually the highlight of festivals organized in rural areas of the Asian country, and attract lots of spectators due to their thrilling nature. The traditional competition attracts landlords and farmers from all around the province where the race is held, and they all bring their fastest and strongest bulls in hopes of gaining a reputation. (Photo by Aamir Qureshi/AFP Photo)

Interior designer Zahra Afridi (R) kicks a punching bag during a kickboxing training session at her home in Islamabad February 10, 2014. Afridi runs her own interior design company. Her most recent project was a Classic Rock Coffee cafe in Islamabad. Though instability continues to plague Pakistan and many areas are dominated by social conservatism, some of the country's more affluent residents have worked to fashion a very different kind of lifestyle for themselves. Pictures of men and women taking part in all sorts of activities and professions – from being a pilates instructor, to a textile retail entrepreneur, to a member of a rock band – offer a different view of Pakistan to images of conflict that often make the news. (Photo by Zohra Bensemra/Reuters)

Russian servicemen display military camouflage equipments during the joint military anti-terrorist command and staff exercise of the armed forces of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization member states Peace Mission-2021 at the Donguz training ground in the Orenburg region, Russia, 23 September 2021. More than 3.4 thousand servicemen from Russia, India, China, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and more than 600 units of weapons, military and special equipment are involved in the exercise Peace Mission-2021. (Photo by Maxim Shipenkov/EPA/EFE)

Bodybuilders pose on stage during the Mr.001 bodybuilding competition in Mombasa, Kenya, on December 11, 2021. This bodybuilding competition was created by a former bodybuilder and its the first one to happen in the coastal city since 2015. The name comes from Mombasa's county code and currently is considered one of the biggest in East and Central Africa. The first edition brought over 200 participants from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Nigeria, South Africa and Pakistan who competed in different categories including physique, bikini and figure. (Photo by Patrick Meinhardt/AFP Photo)

Boats moored in the middle of Dal lake are silhouetted against the setting sun on January 15, 2018 in Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian administered Kashmir, India. Kashmir, the Muslim majority state, known as the “Paradise on Earth” has for centuries captured the imagination of many writers, poets and film makers and is integral to the tourist trade. Kashmir has been a contested land between nuclear neighbors India and Pakistan since 1947, the year both the countries attained freedom from the British rule. (Photo by Yawar Nazir/Getty Images)

A Hindu devotee lies on a road as the holy “Rath”, or the chariot of lord Jagannath, passed over her during the Rath Yatra, or chariot procession in Karachi, Pakistan, July 17, 2016. Ratha-jatra is derived from two Odia words ratha/rotho meaning “chariot” and jatra meaning “journey”. The festival involves an annual procession (journey) of a deity's idols. Other names for the festival include ratha jatra or chariot festival. (Photo by Akhtar Soomro/Reuters)