World Cup

It's offically one week until the start of World Cup 2014, and advertisers are releasing loads of new soccer-themed campaigns. A couple years, ago Pepsi introduced us to "Uncle Drew," an old man who walks onto a basketball court in New Jersey looking to test his skills against some "young bloods." No one takes him seriously until he seriously embarrasses any and all challengers. For those who haven’t seen it, here is a link. Read no further if you don’t want the surprise ruined. 

England and Ecuador drew 2-2 in a World Cup tune up for both nations in Miami on Wednesday afternoon. With around 21,500 people in attendance, England debuted an experimental lineup which lacked established stars such as captain Steven Gerrard, Joe Hart, Gary Cahill, and Daniel Sturridge. England came out in a 4-2-3-1 formation with Wayne Rooney starting on the left wing, instead of his preferred spots either up front or right behind the striker.

It has been three-and-a-half years since FIFA president Sepp Blatter awarded Qatar the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

With World Cup 2014 starting in Brazil next week, it is almost a guarantee that we will be exposed throughout the tournament to heaps of highlights, stories, and images of the greatest soccer player ever to live. Before you hear the references, before you see the glory, we here at The18 thought it was only fit we take a moment to revel in the greatness that was Edson Arantes do Nascimento, aka Pelé. 

Neymar and Brazil had no troubles in their first warmup match against Panama, cruising to a 4-0 victory behind a stellar goal from the 22-year-old phenom.

Fans commonly throw things onto the pitch. Streamers, confetti, toilet paper and so on. Last month, The18 covered one of the more infamous throwing incidents when a fan tossed a banana at Dani Alves, setting off international outrage about racism in soccer.

The official ball of World Cup 2014 has had an eye - or six - on the players we’ll be seeing in the upcoming tournament. Leading up to the start of the World Cup, Adidas and TBWA sent the ball to London, Munich, Madrid and more for exclusive interviews and videos of top players. Here's the trailer they released a few months ago:

Were you one of the many Americans waiting with bated breath to hear the results of the U.S.’s bid to host the 2022 World Cup? Maybe you even lived in one of the host cities and were hoping that some of the predicted $5B in economic benefit to the U.S. might come to your local economy. Well, according to some economists, we’re all a little better off saving our money and just taking a trip to Qatar. Although, meteorologists might recommend against it.

After years of debate in the futbol community, World Cup 2014 will be the first in history to feature the new goal-line technology instituted by FIFA. 

FIFA already has its hands full as we pass the two-week mark until kickoff in Sao Paulo between Brazil and Croatia. Preparations are in overdrive mode, as three stadiums are still a cause for concern for the football's governing body. Now FIFA and head of security Ralf Mutschke have to deal with the ramifications of a rumor that the Nigeria-Scotland warmup match was fixed, bringing worry to this year's World Cup.