With the Super Bowl marking the end of the NFL season and college football already past its expiration, what’s left in the sports world to be seen? The answer is still more football, or fútbol for that matter. This summer marks the start of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil where nations who have qualified will compete.
The World Cup is played for every 4 similar to the Olympics but is strictly soccer. The USA, known for its love of American football actually has a very good team regardless of soccer not being the most popular sport with our country’s youth. USA soccer is ranked 14 overall by Fifa for this current year but has a tough task ahead after being put in the “death group” this year. The group of powerhouses include Germany, Ghana, and Portugal. Germany respectively finished 3rd in 2010, while Ghana was the team to knock the USA out of the tournament.
Big names in the tournament set to make their appearance in early June include Neymar(Brazil), Lionel Messi(Argentina), Cristiano Ronaldo(Portugal), and many more planning on helping their teams take home the coveted cup. The tournament has been played nineteen previous times with the host nation this year, Brazil, holding the most victories all-time with five cups. The most recent World Cup in 2010 was won by Spain, a virtual mecca for soccer stars in La Liga, surprisingly for their first win ever.
Tune in this summer to see if the USA can make a mark on the world’s biggest soccer tournament and the most popular sporting event in the world behind the Olympics.