World Cup Tournament Helps to Build Interest in Soccer

In America, soccer is not a commonly watched sport like football and basketball. Therefore, it is only natural that many Americans don’t understand much about the World Cup. In a lot of countries, such as Brazil and Mexico, soccer–or football–as they call it, is the most popular sport. Fans of these countries watch the World Cup religiously, but in the United States many don’t know even when the games are happening. So what is the World Cup, and what should Americans understand about this major global athletic event?

The World Cup was created by Jules Rimet, a French soccer administrator. He wanted to create an international men’s soccer tournament, since it was not a part of the Olympic summer games at the time. The first cup was held in 1930 in Uruguay, with the host country winning the title. Now it is one of the most popular sporting events in the world, with over 3 billion people watching the last tournament in 2018. 

According to Britannica.com, the tournament only happens every four years because it is too complex of an event to happen annually. 211 teams compete against each other throughout the four years for one of the 32 spots in the World Cup.  Those 32 teams will then play 64 games throughout the competition to get to the winner.  This year’s World Cup is held in Qatar, and runs from November 21 to December 18. Many GCHS students are following the tournament. 

Many students like to watch the World Cup, because it is a substantial sporting event like the Superbowl. Also they watch it for talented athletes like Christian Ronlado and Lionel Messi Others start watching it due to the influence of family and friends. 

Senior Adan Cruz said his Mexican heritage influences his desire to watch the tournament. Cruz said “I watch the World Cup to root for my country Mexico, and because I play soccer.” 

Students also like to watch because the USA’s team made it to the World Cup and are the underdogs. A major USA fan senior Trey Redmon said “I watch the Cup to root for the USA’s team, and I hope they win it all.”  

For many students, knowing that team USA has one of the 32 spots for the World Cup this year has helped draw them in.  Soccer fan Darli Perez, junior, said “Watching the USA’s team is really entertaining. I hope that they make it far, but even if they don’t, I will still be watching. I try to watch every match in the tournament because I’m a huge fan of soccer.”

 Team USA tied England 0-0 on Friday, November 25, putting them into the knockout round, which was a significant event since England has a very good soccer team. Team USA beat Iran 0-1 on Tuesday, November 29. Sadly, USA lost to Netherlands 3-1 on Saturday December 3rd and ended the competition for USA.

The Cup can be viewed through FOX Sports and Peacock.  It will be interesting to see the outcome of the World Cup and which team will win.  The next World Cup will be held June 8, 2022 to July 3, 2026 in the major cities across the US. Soccer fans may plan to catch a game since it will be so close to home.