Football is the most popular sport in the world. Although it’s not nearly as popular in Canada as hockey, I’m writing this article for any of my readers planning on going on exchange; you’ll probably end up in a country where football is honoured with weekly matches. For example, in Ecuador, which happens to be my home country, every other person plays football and every other person has been to a soccer match in Estadio Atahualpa.
Allow me to summarize some important aspects of football that will prepare you for the 2018 FIFA World Cup to be held in Russia next summer.
How Do You Play Football?
First, let’s cover the basic rules of this beautiful game.
There are 11 players for each team on the field, for a total of 22 players. Each match consists of two halves of 45 minutes, for a 90-minute total time frame. Much like hockey, the objective is to score more goals than the opponent. Normally, those who defend the goal are the defenders, which includes the goalkeeper. Those who advance the ball from their side of the field to the opponents’ are the midfielders, and those who score the goals are the attackers.
If the ball crosses the lengthwise limitations of the field, which are called sidelines, a player from the opposite team gets to grab the ball and throw it back into play with their hands. These are called throw-ins. Besides the goalkeeper, who may touch the ball with any body part, this is the only time a player can touch the ball with their hands. To remember this rule, think about how the name of the game is football, not handball. Unfortunately, this seemingly obvious rule has been ignored by even the most notable players.
Now, let me explain the rules that involve some kicking.
If the ball crosses the limitations of the field on either end of the field, called goal lines, a corner is called. It is a place kick taken by the attacking side from a corner of the field after the ball has been sent over the end line outside the goal by a defender, according to Google.
If the ball crosses either goal line and the ball was touched last by the attacking team, a goal kick is awarded to the defending team.
Finally, the kick that arguably gives soccer fans the most stress are penalties. A penalty is called when the defending team makes a contact foul or hand ball within the penalty area, which is the large box on either end of the field. The penalty kick is so stressful because a player is allowed to take a shot super close to the goal and the only person allowed to defend it is the goalkeeper.
Where is the World Cup?
Now, let’s get back to the event. The FIFA World Cup is celebrated every four years. Last time, it was held in Brazil, and next year it will be held in the vodka-land of Russia.
But where, exactly? Because Russia is HUGE.
Although most of its land is closer to Asia, most of its population resides in the smaller European portion. For this reason, Russia’s national team plays for the UEFA (Union of European Football Associations). Likewise, all of the matches of the 2018 FIFA World Cup will be held on this side of the country in an effort to reduce flying time for the players between matches.
Who is Playing in the World Cup?
After nearly three years of sweat and tears, the World Cup qualifiers have come to an end. Only 32 teams out of 209 qualified for the international competition. These teams were then grouped into eight groups of four teams in the final draw, which took place December 1, 2017.
From each group, only two teams may advance to the round of 16. From those 16 teams, only eight teams pass to the quarter-finals and from the quarter-finals, four teams pass to the semi-finals. After the semi-finals, the final takes place between the two best teams. And which will these two teams be? Let’s take a look at some of the favourites to win this year.
The favourite teams many would recommend to keep an eye on during the World Cup are Germany, Brazil, France, Argentina and Spain. Why? Because Germany has Muller and Ozil; Brazil has Neymar and Coutinho; France has Griezmann and Pogba; Argentina has Messi, Higuain, and Di Maria; and Spain has Iniesta, Pique, and Ramos. Most of these players have either been nominated for the Ballon d’Or or have won it the last couples of years, therefore, they are likely to bring their teams some success at this World Cup.
When is the World Cup?
The opening match of the 2018 FIFA World Cup will be on June 14 between Russia and Saudi Arabia at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow. This same stadium will also host the second semi-final on July 11 and the final on July 15. I would strongly recommend to check this link out. It gives a names the matches you absolutely cannot miss, including Portugal vs Spain and England vs Belgium, with shorts explanations of the reasons why.
If you’d like to see the complete match schedule, I invite you to open this link and write down in your calendar the time and day of the matches you are interested in watching!
As you can see, this World Cup is bound to be very exciting. I hope this article got you eager for it, and I hope you get a chance to enjoy some of the matches and witness the aforementioned players dribble the ball.