By: Lucas de Lima
Every 4 years, the world is blessed with the arrival of the greatest tournament in the history of sports. The rarity of the International Federation of Association Football, or FIFA, World Cup makes the tournament the most special in not only soccer, but in sports.
The World Cup is held every 4 years in order to alternate with the Summer Olympics and to maintain the freshness of the competition. 32 teams qualify for the tournament, all spread out from each continent.
These 32 teams are split into 8 groups of 4, where each team will play 3 games, 1 against each group member, to decide if they will advance past the “group stages.” Teams get 3 points for a win, 1 point for a tie, and 0 points for a loss. Only 2 teams get to move on from each group.
The remaining 16 teams then play in the “knockout rounds,” where they play in single-elimination matches to decide the champion of the world. The losers of the semifinals contest with each other for consolatory third-place honors. Brazil currently holds the record with the most titles, winning 5 since the conception of the World Cup in 1930.
This year’s edition of the final will include Argentina, looking to win their first title in 36 years for Lionel Messi in his final World Cup, against France. France are looking to become the first repeat champions since Brazil won two in a row in 1958 to 1962. France beat Croatia 4-2 in the Russia 2018 World Cup to be named the Champions.
Fans rush to tune in for the opening match every tournament, where the host country plays against a fellow group mate to kick off their World Cup. This year, the host country Qatar played against Ecuador on November 20, losing 2-0.
Enner Valencia was the hero for Ecuador, scoring 2 goals. It was the first time in World Cup history that the host country lost their opening match.
Redwood has plenty of students who are attentive to the glory of the tournament. Among these students are Daniel Goswick ’25 and Cristian Carlos ’25. Goswick and Carlos support the United States and Mexico, respectively. Both teams are easily the most supported among Redwood students.
Both teams entered the World Cup with high hopes, but their results varied. The Mexico national team crashed out of the group stages, scraping by with a 0-0 draw with Poland, a disappointing loss to Argentina 2-0, and an underwhelming 2-1 victory over Saudi Arabia.
These outcomes ended Mexico with 4 group stage points, which resulted in them losing a goal differential tie-break with Poland, and failure to advance to the knockout stages.
When asked if he was proud of Mexico’s performance, Carlos says “I’m not proud of my team’s performance at all. They didn’t play as good as they should’ve. It was bad coaching, bad players, everything was bad.”
The United States on the other hand, played above their expectations. The young American squad drew with a skillful Wales team 1-1, drew again with a notoriously talented England team 0-0, and beat a surprisingly competitive Iran team 1-0.
The Americans lack of scoring came back to haunt them in their first knockout stage game though, with their run in the World Cup ending with a loss to a tight Netherlands squad 3-1.
This didn’t stop Goswick from being proud of his team’s results. “I’d be proud of them, cause I kinda thought they would get knocked out in the group stage, but they didn’t. They had a pretty good game against Netherlands, and a good game against England. So yeah, I’m kinda proud,” says Goswick.
The World Cup is a spectacle no matter if you are a passionate soccer fan or just a neutral. It always brings out the best from the greatest athletes on the planet.
When asked about what he enjoys most about the tournament, Goswick says, “The intensity and pressure there is on the teams and players.” Obviously, the feeling that it brings to countries all around the world has not been replicated by any other event on Earth.
Carlos understands that there is nothing that mirrors the same atmosphere that the World Cup brings, “I just feel like the environment and the ambition for each player to represent their country, and to know that like it’s either this game or it’s over. To know that you have a chance of winning the World Cup, biggest tournament in the whole world.”
Lucas de Lima
Lucas de Lima, '25, is a proud Sports editor and author for the Redwood Gigantea. Outside of journalism, he is a part of the FBLA and FFA organizations, as well as the tennis program. You can reach him by email at lucas.de3708@vusd.us
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