Sorry America, football is a stupid name for a game in which only one guy on each team ever touches the ball with his foot each game. And he grew up playing a different sport entirely. That sport of course, was soccer. Better known the world over, aptly, as futbol.
The pinnacle of futbol is a tournament, governed by FIFA, that is held every four years. The popularity of the World Cup is undeniable. In 2014, the total attendance for the 64 matches in Brazil was an astounding 3.4 million people. And the, wonderfully alliterative, FIFA Fan Fest drew over 5.1 million people to parties and events held throughout the World Cup.
Thirty-two teams participate in the Cup after spending the previous three years competing in qualifying matches. There are 64 matches played in a somewhat complicated formula. The first, or group, stage is the only one that isn’t elimination play. Teams strive to accrue points, not to be confused with goals, although those help, to be one of the leading two teams in their group to progress to the round of 16. This second round begins the exciting elimination play that continues until the end of the tournament. The 8 teams fortunate enough to make it through the second round begin to compete in the finals, until the ultimate World Cup match, where winner takes all.
Brazil, who hosted the tournament in 2014, consistently puts forth a dominant team, evidenced by the number of prestigious records it holds, including most World Cup wins (5), most consecutive finishes in the top sixteen (20), most consecutive appearances in the finals (20), and the most consecutive finishes in the top two (3).
Attending an international futbol game is an exciting experience under normal circumstances, but every four years the stakes, and energy, get raised to record levels. Not done...
Brazil
United States
Italy