Since the first official FIFA World Cup which took place in Uruguay in July of 1930, it is now the 22nd one after taking place inaugurally every four years with exception during WWII for ninety-two years. FIFA stands for Fédération Internationale de Football Association and it was founded in 1904. Every World Cup has a host nation where several venues are used to house the games. The host nation is voted on around seven years before they actually host. In order for a country to be in the World Cup they first have to qualify in the qualification phase which occurs over the three years before the World Cup. There can only be 32 qualifying countries that make it to the World Cup until 2026 where there will be 48 that can qualify. The host nation always qualifies automatically. The 32 qualifying nations are first organized into 8 groups of 4 where the top two teams of each group move on to the knockout stage. The knockout stage is formatted with the Round of 16 being first, then the Quarterfinals, then the Semifinals, and lastly, the Final. Eighty countries in total have participated in the World Cup yet only eight teams have ever won. The World Cup has been hosted by seventeen countries. The World Cup is the most popular and most watched sporting event worldwide. 

This year’s World Cup (2022) has Qatar hosting. It is the first World Cup to be held in the Middle East and the second in Asia. It actually started 5 months later than it was supposed to because of Qatar’s hot climate so it started on November 20th and will end December 18th. The following countries qualified: Qatar (automatically), Ecuador, Senegal, and the Netherlands in Group A; England, The Islamic Republic of Iran, the United States of America, and Wales in Group B; Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, and Poland in Group C; France, Australia, Denmark, and Tunisia in Group D; Spain, Costa Rica, Germany, and Japan in Group E; Belgium, Canada, Morocco, and Croatia in Group F; Brazil, Serbia, Switzerland, and Cameroon in Group G; and Portugal, Ghana, Uruguay, and the Republic of Korea in Group H. After the countless games played, it is now Argentina and France that have made it to the Final. As of writing this, the Final is set to take place this Sunday, the 18th of December. 

mlssoccer. “Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup Match Schedule, Opening Venue Determined | MLSSoccer.Com.” Mlssoccer, https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/qatar-2022-fifa-world-cup-match-schedule-opening-venue-determined. Accessed 14 Dec. 2022.

The World Cup is extremely important to millions of people around the world. It’s a chance to be proud of your country. Every single game of the World Cup has its venues full of screaming and color. Fans come in full costumes, jerseys, painted bodies, suits, etc. Fans also bring instruments, dance, and wave their flags. Players train for years and years to be able to represent their country and when they finally make it to the World Cup they are under so much pressure. The World Cup is to be taken seriously. In 2006 the cumulative viewership was estimated at around 26.29 billion and an estimated 715.1 million people watched the Final. The World Cup is a very entertaining event and worth following.