A London family is heading to the World Cup 2026 final after winning the trip of a lifetime through a McDonald's Fun Football prize draw. Rifat Hysa, 52, and his wife Lenka Hysa, 44, registered their nine-year-old son Max for two free Fun Football sessions after a friend sent them a WhatsApp message encouraging them to sign up.
"A friend sent us a WhatsApp message and said, 'Just enter, it'll be fun,'" said Rifat. "We only did it because Max loves football. We wanted him to enjoy himself and improve. Winning never even crossed our minds."
Unexpected victory
When the family, from Twickenham, received the call informing them they had won, Rifat struggled to believe it. "At first, I thought it couldn't be real… It was so hard to believe. It was only when the emails and phone calls started coming through that we realised we'd actually won. We just kept asking each other, 'Is this really happening?'"
Lenka's father, a lifelong football supporter, is flying from Slovakia to join them, meaning three generations will experience the biggest match in world football together. He has spent decades following every World Cup, collecting football books and dreaming of seeing the tournament in person.
"My dad has loved football for as long as I can remember," said Lenka. "He's followed every World Cup, collected books about the tournament and always dreamed of experiencing it in person. To be able to share that with his grandson makes it even more special."
Family memories
For nine-year-old Max, a devoted Chelsea supporter, it is a chance to experience the world's biggest sporting event. For his parents, it is the opportunity to watch three generations create cherished memories. With England still in the hunt for World Cup glory, Rifat says only one thing could make the experience even more unforgettable.
"If England make the final, that would be incredible," he said. "But whatever happens, just being there together as a family is something we'll never forget."
