Arguably one of the biggest things on the world’s sporting calendar is starting today – the FIFA World Cup! Football lovers everywhere are in a froth of anticipation for the event that comes around only once every four years. It’s the event every football fan lives for: starting today, 32 teams will battle it out for the biggest prize. Here is a #WorldCup 2018 curtain raiser – a few things you knew and a few you didn’t:
And excitement is at fever pitch! People are rooting vigorously for their own teams and recalling epic World Cup moments from previous editions and generally trying to arrange their lives around the live match schedule.
Whether or not the players display as much aggression on the field, the fans are certainly primed for some high octane rivalry off the field. Fans from each of the 32 nations are hoping; some appear to harbor some rather unrealistic hopes.
The last World Cup was in Brazil in 2014 and this one is now finally here: 32 days, 64 games, at least 96 hours of football!
Russia takes on Saudi Arabia in the first World Cup fixture. Some commentators are at pains to remind us that Russia is playing only because they automatically qualified as hosts of the event and that they are the lowest ranked team in the competition.
Hosts Russia certainly don’t fancy their chances; for obvious reasons. There is also the fact that only six out of 20 World Cup hosts have won at home. Brazil has won five times, but never at home. In 1930 Uruguay were the first hosts to win and France the last hosts to win at home in 1998. Fans will remember the delirium of joy that pervaded the streets of the football mad country at the time.
There are those who will go ballistic if they miss a minute of a much anticipated match. There are those who will engage in intricate office machinations to ensure they can watch the best matches.
There are those who will pray hard and abide by all the match related superstitions that there are to ensure favorable match results.
While some are busy placing bets on the fancied teams and players, others are practicing to embrace defeat… before the competition even started!
Suddenly everyone is an expert and every self proclaimed expert has a theory about who will win. The predictions are based on some allegedly precise scientific calculations; some much less so. The psychic pig was right about Trump, Brexit and the last world cup. Nigerian fans have decided that if the pig’s prediction about their country reaching the semi finals is found to be false, the pig will be killed, the owner arrested and the news publisher jailed – because hopes are not to be trifled with – even by those of the porcine persuasion.
The opening ceremony starts at 6.30 PM today. You can watch it live on TV.
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