This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Illinois chapter.
Over the past few weeks, any television, radio, or electronic device possible of carrying sound
have had three words circulating it: the World Cup.
Commercials showing soccer players preparing for the game or families getting pumped to
watch together are more common than the sad pet ones, and names like Neymar, Persie, and
Ronaldo are becoming household brands.
For the diehard soccer fans, or at least the ones that started watching before 2014, understanding
the game, the rules within it, and how it actually functions isn’t that complicated. For the newbies
who want to get acquainted with the world of soccer, figuring out how the system works, beyond
simply what a goal is or how green the field looks, can be foggier than the movie “The Mist.”
Luckily, Her Campus is here to explain some of the guidelines that may make things simpler.
Advay Lulla, a fan of soccer from India, explains how the World Cup unites fans.
“It’s just a great sport,” Lulla said. “It really joins people together and there’s so much to
watch. There’s always a good atmosphere in the stands and everywhere because the whole world
is watching it. It becomes easier to understand the more you watch.”
To put it simply, it’s easier to break down the format of the game almost like a math equation.
In the World Cup there are four teams in one group with a total of eight groups. That’s a total of
32 teams. The teams within the groups will play one another for a total of three games per team.
Each team earns points to keep moving to the next round and three points are given for a win
with one point given for a draw.
An explanation from the “K-Earth 101 Morning Show” from a listener named Paul explains this
a bit better. An example would be the US beating Ghana and Germany beating Portugal. Both
the US and Germany are awarded three points, but Ghana isn’t eliminated yet. Ghana still has to play
Germany and Portugal. If Ghana plays the latter two teams and beats them, they’d have a total of
six points. If the US didn’t win another game besides the first, Ghana would advance over the US.
Goals work as tie breakers. So, if there are two teams playing that already have a total of six
points from winning two games, the team with the largest goal differential—or goals one team
scored minus goals the other team scored—will advance.
If the world of soccer is still a bit difficult to understand and the enjoyment of watching a game
in general exceeds seeing a specific team win or lose, the best way to make viewing the matches
better is to have a World Cup get-together.
Inviting a few friends over, whether they know soccer or not, with enough snacks to restock a 7-11
and pizza to build a Pizza Hut can make any game much more fun. To make it even more exciting,
have everyone pick a team to cheer on for a friendly competition.
The World Cup may be a new venture for some. But more than anything, it joins people around
the world together for fun, whether one is new or old to the game. Understanding the ins and outs
of soccer is just the first step.
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