Biggest sporting event in the world

Alejandro Cervantes, Sports Editor|May 23, 2018

We as Americans love watching the Super Bowl or World Series. Now imagine that same love on a world stage: that is the World Cup. The World Cup, one of the most popular sporting events in the world, is happening this summer. The World Cup is divided into 32 teams from all around the world, all competing for a trophy and the honor of representing their country on the biggest stage. The team who wins has the honor to be known as the best in the world for four years until the next World Cup comes around again.

This year’s World Cup is being held this summer in Russia. It starts June 14 with the host team of Russia taking on Saudi Arabia. Before kickoff, we will be able to see the opening ceremony with all 32 teams, 352 players, and thousands of fans from each country going to support their country. The host ceremony will signify the beginning of the 21st World Cup; but the players that have dedicated their entire lives to the sport of soccer won’t be happy until they hear the referee blow his whistle to signify the start of the match.

“Germany for sure. Their B team is destroying everyone’s first team,”  said sophomore David Juarez. Germany, the reigning World Cup champions, have had a very easy going through the qualifiers as they have been winning all their matches with the reserve players. When sophomore Franco Chavez was asked who was going to the World Cup this year he said, “France or Germany for sure.” Between these two powerhouses of soccer teams, they have a combined six championships over the last 78 years. So tune in this summer to watch some amazing soccer players showcase their skills as they compete to see who is the best in the world.

For soccer fans around the World Cup, the anticipation of the World Cup began last year when the qualifiers began. The qualifiers are very unpredictable as we saw with the elimination of the United States, Italy, Netherlands, and many more. The elimination of these major teams allowed other countries to test their abilities on the grand stage. So if you like watching a good underdog story, watch out for the teams that took advantage of the empty spots, like Peru and Iceland.