The FIFA World Cup is the most watched sporting event happening every four years. The world cup is the tournament of men’s natural teams that determines the sport’s world champion. The first ever competition was held in 1930 by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association, also known as FIFA. The first matchup was between Uruguay and Argentina. The trophy cup was awarded to the winners from 1930 to 1970. The trophy was named the Jules Rimet Trophy after the Frenchman who advocated for the tournament.

“The world cup is a globally known sporting event, it brings people together to bond over their national team competing to become world champions,” said senior Dylan Strokelitus.

The FIFA World Cup only comes every four years; this year is the 22nd running competition tournament. The world cup has been following the tradition of every four years since 1930 with some years being postponed because of the Second World War. In 2018, France came out of the world cup victorious after defeating Croatia. This year the world cup started on November 20, 2022, and will be over on December 18, 2022.

“With the world cup only being played every four years, and only the top 32 national teams,  it’s a big deal when your homeland team makes the tournament roster,” said Strokelitus.

The tournament began with Qatar and Ecuador, with Ecuador coming out on top. During the series, the world cup will feature 32 teams and it will start with teams divided into eight groups of four. The whole tournament will be held in 8 different stadiums including the Lusail Iconic Stadium, where the final will be held. All the stadiums are located about 40 kilometers from central Doha. 

All 32 teams play three matches each, and play in a round-robin format in the group stage. In the tournament,  teams will get three points for a win and one for a draw. The final group stage match will be played on Dec. 2, 2022. The top two teams in each group will advance to the last 16 series. The knockout rounds will be held the following day. The final matchup will be at the Lusail Iconic Stadium in Lusail, Qatar.

Russia hosted the 21st World Cup in 2018 and used 12 stadiums. The 2018 tournament began on June 14 and ended on July 15. More than 3 million people attended the world cup while more than 3 billion people watched the final match around the world. France took home the gold and also $38 million dollars from the $400 million dollar FIFA prize fund. The second-place winner , Croatia, won $28 million dollars. A Croatian player named Luka Modrić was voted the tournament’s best player and won the Golden Ball. This award is given to the best player of each FIFA Club World Cup.

“I am excited to watch the world cup with my family this year,” said senior Brandon Woollam. “It is such a great experience to watch the best teams play in a big tournament,” said Woollam.