The most wonderful thing about the World Cup is that it’s a carnival. Not in the modern “Oh, this is a great opportunity to get Instagram photos and pretend I’m a famous person” sense of the word, but more like the medieval “Let’s reverse all our social roles, suspend our norms about desired behavior, lose our everyday individuality and experience a heightened sense of social unity while pouring libations” understanding.
Imagine this: it’s July 15, 2018. It’s the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow. 81,000 spectators are collectively holding their breath while more than one billion are tuned in across the planet. After 120 minutes of action in the 2018 FIFA World Cup Final, we’re all square between Argentina and Germany. It's penalties.
Argentina now has a chance to lift the trophy with their fifth and final spot kick. It’s Lionel Messi — the perennial international runner-up — approaching the spot with German No. 1 Manuel Neuer staring him down.
Without reviewing the entire 2006 World Cup — or at least just France’s quarterfinal victory over Brazil — it’s difficult to get a sense of just how deserved a Golden Ball winner Zinedine Zidane was.
Having announced his retirement from Real Madrid at the end of the 2005-06 season, the summer’s World Cup served as Zidane’s swan song on the pitch. He turned it into his personal testimonial, particularly when the knockout stages began.
Adidas has finally released the away kits for the World Cup squads it sponsors, inluding the Mexico World Cup away kit. Let's take a look!
Germany:
Brazil will approach the World Cup in the shadow of its catastrophic 7-1 semifinal defeat to Germany from 2014, but the Seleção has gradually let the light back in with its gold medal at the 2016 Olympic Games and remarkable run through CONMEBOL qualifying.
After losing its opening match against Chile, Brazil went undefeated over the following 17 games, recording 12 wins and five draws while scoring 41 goals and allowing only nine. Accordingly, Brazil is worthy of its FIFA ranking of No. 2 and Elo ranking of No. 1.
The18.com knows you don't have time to waste when it comes to your soccer news. That's why we've created the fastest rundown in soccer. Greg Ellis takes you through 18 different soccer topics, and spends 18 seconds on each. This time he goes over Cristiano Ronaldo's potential break up with Real Madrid, World Cup mascots, and the most mispronounced soccer names and much more. If you liked this episode Watch Episode 3 of 18 Things in 18 Seconds.
Welcome to the World Cup! We’ve all come to think of this soccer extravaganza as one where countries compete in a civilized tournament but let’s face it, the World Cup is the Sunday League of planet Earth. A league where all the unique children of the neighborhood come out to play some footie, and they’re only unique because their mothers said so. What could possibly go wrong?
FIFA officially approved the use of video assistant referees at this summer’s World Cup during a FIFA Council meeting on Friday in Bogota, Colombia. After testing the system out at last year’s Confederations Cup, World Cup VAR is sure to annoy all the England fans who like to complain about not having anything to complain about.
"Colors," Jason Derulo's Coca-Cola World Cup anthem that is sweeping the soccer universe, is now available in lyric video form, so you can sing along if that is something you might want to do.
Here are the lyrics:
Oh, what a feeling
Look what we've overcome
Oh, I'm gonna wave-a-wave my flag
And count all the reasons
We are the champions
There ain't no turning, turning back
Saying "Oh, can't you taste the feeling, feeling"