The World Cup has finally ended this past Monday. Starting in late November, it felt like it was never going to end—in a good way. While I’m not interested in soccer or sports in general, I found that the World Cup for me was a fun way to get involved in something global that I’m not otherwise a part of.
For those who are completely out of the loop, the FIFA World Cup is the most prestigious international soccer competition. Every four years, 32 national teams play each other in eight groups until there is a final winner. In a cut and dry way, it is the most popular sport displayed on a global scale, and receives the attention of millions of fans worldwide. An estimated 1.12 billion people watched the 2018 final, and an estimated 3.2 billion watched some live coverage of the World Cup. It’s also been shown that viewership has been growing since 2006 and it is one of the most watched sporting events in the world.
So then, what is the deal?
I’m not a sports person in any traditional sense—the only joy I get from watching a sport is seeing it for the game aspect, and not rooting for anyone in particular. I’m not interested in the Super Bowl except for the half-time shows, nor any basketball games, but I feel differently about the World Cup. To me, the World Cup encaptures how global and interconnected we are, all through a simple game of soccer. It’s dramatic, competitive, emotional, and unifying.
To start off, the World Cup gives me the same feeling that the Olympics does. It’s slightly endearing to imagine countries playing sports and competing against each other. Instead of having team names or focusing on players (except for phenomenal players like Messi), having the team of an entire nation playing a sport amongst other nations—amidst the different politics, economies, and realness of the world—is charming to me. It’s what grabs my attention, and I’m sure it does the same for millions of others.
Along with this, I find that having the World Cup be between countries makes it simple to watch. When you ask a regular non-soccer fan who they’re rooting for, they normally choose the country they like more. It also allows for people to root for countries that are near to their heart, such as ones they’re close to in nationality, ethnicity, or in other characteristics. For example, my dad has no ties to Morocco, but was rooting for them the whole time because he is Muslim and Morocco is a Muslim-dominated country. It can be a sense of pride for many viewers to root for a team that they view emotionally close to them, which adds to the fun of it all.
For the soccer fans—as it is the most popular sport around the entire world—the World Cup is probably the most exciting sporting event to watch. With infamous players like Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), Lionel Messi (Argentina), and Kylian Mbappé (France), soccer fans can indulge themselves with the game itself. They can make bets, draw their own conclusions, and root for the teams and players who they deem as worthy of winning.
Honestly, I completely forgot that the World Cup was occurring this year. However, as the weeks went on, I soon found myself learning the designated times and teams that were playing, and eventually tuning in myself. There was one student in my class that would turn to the game pulled up on his laptop whenever the professor was busy. During lunch in public places, I would see people gazing at the game on the multiple TVs propped on the walls. Conversations were being had on milestones, such as Morocco becoming the first Arab and African country to reach the semi-finals, or Iran’s team refusing to sing their national anthem to support women’s rights in the country. It was a unifying experience shared by so many people.
In a tense match that resulted in a tie in goals and multiple penalty kicks, Argentina came out on top against France, having their first win in 36 years. Lionel Messi was the star of the show, receiving the World Cup award for his team. It has been the most expensive and (predictably) the most watched World Cup this far. More than that, as well, the World Cup has yet again brought millions of fans together around the world over a simple match of soccer, or football. It was entertaining to watch, emotional for some fans and viewers, and overall a captivating show of humanity coming together to have fun.