Remember the scene at the end of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade where Indy chooses from a dozen or more chalices in hopes of finding the Holy Grail? The correct cup turned out to be the most modest of them all. Starting this month, forty-eight soccer teams vie for their own Holy Grail (an entirely immodest cup), across sixteen venues jam-packed with thousands of delirious fans. This month, North America welcomes the madness that is the World Cup.
Let me admit right up front, I am a sports fan but not a soccer fan. I’ve enjoyed the American version of football as long as I can remember but not so much the other version made popular by the World Cup. By the standards of a lot of sports, soccer can be described as slow, boring, and low scoring. But of course, any soccer aficionado will tell you there’s more to enjoying the game than meets the eye; much more. Maybe the 104 matches over the next six weeks will get me to agree.
I won’t waste this space on a primer on soccer; not even the complicated format of the World Cup competition itself. Your favorite browser or AI will be happy to fill in those fútbol blanks. Instead, I want to focus on what lies just outside of the Cup. You’ll find headlines and curiosities that wouldn’t have happened without this event, but are perhaps more interesting than the kicks on the field…
for instance…
Trivia question: How many teams sought qualification to become one of the forty-eight participating in this year’s World Cup? I’ll give you a hint: We have 195 recognized countries in the world. Would you guess 150 teams? 125? 100? Sorry, you’re heading in the wrong direction (and it’s a trick question). There were over two hundred soccer teams when the qualifying rounds began almost three years ago. How that number was whittled to forty-five (plus one each for host countries Canada, U.S., and Mexico) would take way more words than I am allotted today.
Here’s something less trivial. One of six teams is destined to hoist the Golden Ball trophy (worth about $10M all by itself): England, France, Spain, Portugal, Brazil, or Argentina. Maybe your sentiments lie with one of the host teams but the facts and the resumes don’t lie: Europe and South America have dominated professional soccer for decades. Baseball may be as American as apple pie, but we’re talking about a sport for the legs, not the arms. Having said that, you won’t have to wait long to get your first look at the Americans. We “kick off” against Paraguay tomorrow night.
If you’re looking for a longshot to win this thing (and I mean l-o-n-g-g-g-g-g-g shot), choose one of the teams from Curacao, Jordan, Uzbekistan, or Cape Verde. These countries are playing in the World Cup for the first time (and the World Cup’s been going on for a hundred years). To me, curacao is a liquor that tastes like Triple Sec. Jordan is a man’s name. Uzbekistan is somewhere in Asia surrounded by countries whose names I also can’t pronounce. And (Cape) verde means green in Spanish. Notice nowhere here am I saying anything about the talents of their World Cup soccer teams.
Speaking of alcohol, it’ll be interesting to see how the fortunes of the beer, wine, and liquor producers are swayed by the World Cup. With sixteen stadiums and 104 matches, you’d expect a boost in drink sales big enough to create Niagara Falls. Unfortunately for them, the World Cup is hosted by a continent where drinking is descending to record low levels, with the younger generations promoting the idea alcohol “is bad for your health”. Maybe fans will raise a glass of milk to the winner like they do at the Indianapolis 500.
Like the receiving line at a wedding, I’d love to meet every one of the World Cup fans who make it to the final match in New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium. Why? These people must do some pretty remarkable things for a living. Even with the likelihood the host countries will not be represented, a ticket is projected to set you back between $15K and $20K. Fifteen thousand American dollars for three hours of sport. Throw in peripheral expenses and a family of five could easily spend six figures. It’s kind of nuts. No, it’s a whole bowl of nuts. And mark my words, every last seat in MetLife will be filled.
There’s a lot more to be said about the World Cup, and I’ll be tempted to keep you updated over the next six weeks. In the meantime I need to get back to my regular routine. Game #1 and #2 take place today and I have no intention of sitting down to watch. I may kick myself for my lack of attention but hey, now there’s a great way to describe my ability to play soccer.
Some content sourced from the CNN Sports article, “World Cup beginner’s guide…”, the CNN Sports article, “Who are the World Cup favorites?, the CNN Sports article, “The World Cup debutants…”, the CNN Sports article, “Why sky-high ticket prices have sent fans searching…”, and Wikipedia, “the free encyclopedia”.
Life In A Word 
My wife, middle son, a daughter-in-law, and one grandchild are attending the Qatar Bosnia/Herzegovinia match on June 24th. My oldest son is going to a different game with another group. I passed this time!
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Ah, so maybe YOU should be writing a blog on the World Cup!
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You wrote it better than I could!
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Dave, I am amazed at those prices for the final match. The concession stand prices are likely costly too. That’s crazy, plus with no dome or roof over it, I would hope if the weather was bad, they’d postpone the game at those prices. We had severe weather, with possible tornadic conditions the other day and the Tigers fans were whisked out of the stadium to take cover as the players continued playing baseball. Go figure. I have never watched a soccer game, so I don’t plan to tune in. I wonder how many people tuned in for today’s first two games. P.S. You lost me with the Indiana Jones reference as I’ve never seen any of those movies. I’ve only seen Harrison Ford in “Regarding Henry” and “Witness”. 🙂
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To your P.S. – The first of the original trilogy of films (Raiders of the Lost Ark) stands alone. It was a wonderful combination of adventure and humor, and Harrison Ford’s signature role. The follow-on film was an utter disappointment, and the final film would have been as well if not for the presence of Sean Connery (as Indy’s father). Sean Connery makes every film better 🙂
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I didn’t realize there were so many different Raiders of the Lost Ark movies. I’ve actually not seen any Sean Connery movies and while I do know he played James Bond, I’ve never seen a James Bond movie either … no, I don’t live in a vacuum but not a film buff. 🙂
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I like to think that I paid my soccer (or futbol) watching dues when I had two kids playing youth soccer a number of years ago. The cash outlay was small, but I paid for it in time. I will be a gentleman and give up my (theoretical) seat to someone who values time at the game more highly than I do. In truth, this could be said for almost any sport. To me, the farther away you get from grade school sports, the less worthwhile the experience for the fan.
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I get your time-at-the-game comment, J.P. (and I’m a sports fan!) We went to the Notre Dame-USC football game and it was almost more of a hassle than it was worth. The crush of humanity entering the stadium was not for the faint of heart. You stand the entire game (if you want to see). You walk a mile and back from your parked car. And you pay through the nose for the worst of seats. I wonder about those who purchase the season ticket and go to every game. Maybe they don’t have anything better to do?
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I suspect the beer, wine and liquor producers will do fine! They are producing many low or no alcohol lines of familiar alcohol beverages!
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Agreed! Wouldn’t surprise me if advertising during the matches brings a new drink or two to the spotlight.
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My hometown of Kansas City is hosting 6 matches for the FIFA World Cup. There are thousands of expected visitors who will, fingers crossed, boost the local economy. There is excitement in the air, yet most of us know nothing about soccer!
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I hope the first-timers realize they should have visited Kansas City before the World Cup. Plenty of reasons to stop by besides a one-time soccer tournament!
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I’m not a soccer fan either, so I am underwhelmed by all the hype. The estimated 20 million to build a stadium in Toronto with real groomed grass has now ballooned to 480million and along with the Vancouver venues is estimated to be costing the country over a billion dollars? (Those figures could be wrong but I’m too lazy to look them up) Yes, they will get some of that back in tourist dollars but still….it’s a lot for a game and some hosting country PR. Soccer seems to be more popular with kids now than baseball or hockey, as it’s cheaper to play and everyone has some talent at kicking a ball. Will you be watching the hockey game tonight?
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Like the Olympics (or that UFC monstrosity at the White House), the amount of money spent on the World Cup games and festivities – let alone the amount for fans to attend – is utterly over the top. Wouldn’t surprise me if you could cut the budget by 75% (as well as the ticket prices) and still attract the same rabid fans.
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So true….and yet I read that some seats were empty in some stadiums so maybe some people have common sense. Lots more things I would like to spend my money on. I’m happy Carolina won the Stanley cup, (even if they did beat Montreal), because the alternative was Vegas!
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Did you see the Scots and their ARMY in Boston. They are going to make a “Little Scottish” area now. Move over Little Italy.
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I did see a video of a Scot outside her hotel in Boston, praising Americans and the city itself for such a warm, welcoming atmosphere. Made me very proud 😃
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