Culture

We've been plugged into the World Cup for well over a week now with the knockout rounds in sight. The tournament's group stage was at its busiest with four games a day, beginning at 5 a.m. ET and commencing with the 2 p.m. match — through it all, The18 stayed glued to their televisions and became close as kin with the FOX World Cup commentary teams.

Having spent all those hours listening to the broadcasters wax lyrical about semi-automated offside technology and air-conditioned stadiums, we're ready to provide a definitive ranking of the commentary teams.

There's no stopping the United States now after a nerve-racking 1-0 win over Iran. With millions of their countryfolk rallying around the U.S. Soccer crest, Tyler Adams and company are ready to teach the purveyors of Total Football a harsh lesson in Berhalter Ball. 

A 23-year-old worker from Kenya has become one of the biggest stars off the field in Qatar. Abubakar Abbas has risen to stardom by saying one simple word: "Metro." Ladies and gentlemen, meet the star of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Metro guy.

The internet and social media — especially TikTok — is incredibly random in terms of what goes viral. Abbas’ popularity spawned on TikTok where videos of him have garnered millions and millions of views.

After the Washington Commanders beat the Atlanta Falcons in NFL action Sunday, all the talk centered around Commanders running back Brian Robinson Jr. All that chatter wasn't because the 23-year-old went over 100 yards on only 18 carries, it was because Robinson delivered his postgame interviews while wearing an incredibly large hat.

Robinson was promoting his friend's NogginBoss company, which was on the TV show "Shark Tank" and has its own online shop.

When Ghana, the youngest team at the World Cup, eventually meets the USMNT, the second-youngest, in the World Cup semifinals, it's clear that the juvenile inconsistencies of both will allow one team to shine in the opening 45 before the other side comes storming back in the second half.

Since the draw for the 2022 World Cup occurred in April, the Black Friday USA matchup against England had been circled on the calendar for both sides. With so much history both off the field and on, we arrived at the next chapter thirsty for a fantastic show. 

The last time USA and England met in a World Cup, the match ended as a 1-1 draw in 2010 after Clint Dempsey fired home a shot that bounced off Robert Green's hands and rolled behind him into the net. 

The biggest soccer fans in the world journeyed to Qatar in their love of the beautiful game and hunger to experience Middle Eastern culture. The World Cup in Qatar pulled in more foreigners to this part of the world than all the crusades combined. Only the pilgrimage to Mecca has a greater influx of people to this region of Asia.