SOCCER: THE WORLD CUP

No other sporting event attracts as many people worldwide as the World Cup soccer tournament. During the finals, to give an example of its powerful appeal, factories in Brazil are closed to allow workers an opportunity to watch their home team play, on television.

There was no World Cup about a century ago; only the Olympic Games. That changed, however, when the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) created a men’s world tournament for both amateur and professional soccer players. And in 1930, the first competition took place. It was held in Uruguay and it was memorable: just after 19 minutes into the Opening Match between France and Mexico, Lucien Laurent scored the first goal in World Cup history.

Preliminaries. Of the FIFA member nations eligible to take part in World Cup competitions (over 200), only 32 qualify. They include the previous champion and the host nation team.

Competition among these 32 teams starts in June and lasts for about a month. The teams are divided into eight groups and the four teams in each group lay one another. The two teams in each group who have the best record go on to the next round.

A single-elimination format, used in the quarterfinals and semifinals, determines which teams will advance to the finals. The final match, of course, decides who the World Cup winner is.

Host nation. Months before the actual tournament, a lottery consisting of the names of the qualifying teams, determines where the games will take place and who will play against whom.

World Cup for women. In 1991, FIFA introduced World Cup competition for women. The first tournament took place in China and twelve teams participated.

Whereas American men have had only a few notable successes in World Cup competitions, American women have had a markedly different experience. They excelled, for instance, in their first five games and continue to shine.

Every four years, competition for the soccer World Cup championship begins in June and lasts for about one month. At this time, a sort of mania overcomes millions of fans worldwide. And no wonder: this “beautiful game” is the world’s most popular team sport and will probably continue to be for many more years.

XXX

Check out our current top 10 sportsbooks

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.