The four year wait for soccer’s greatest sporting event is finally over. The growing suspense for the long-awaited 2010 FIFA World Cup is officially over as 32 national teams go at it for the chance to claim victory and the FIFA World Cup trophy. As one of the widely-viewed sporting competitions in the world, the World Cup, which lasts about one month, is the final stage where over 200 soccer teams around the world compete and play in tournaments during the three year wait in order to qualify and gain a chance to participate in this prestigious event. According to the BleacherReport.com, over 90 percent of countries around the world have soccer as their national sport.
For soccer players and fans everywhere, the World Cup marks the pinnacle of this exciting sport. The World Cup this year will start on Saturday, June 11 and will last until July 11. The event will take place in South Africa, which is very significant in the history of soccer. This will be the first year where the World Cup is hosted by an African nation, which reveals the importance of this occasion.
“I think it’s really cool that it’s in South Africa because the World Cup is generally more focused in Europe or South America. It’s a nice change,” said freshman Zeinab Safi.The World Cup not only represents the peak of a soccer player’s career, but like the Olympics, the World Cup stands as a symbol of the peaceful interaction between nations.
“I like how the World Cup really brings countries together,” said Aman Khan. “It goes to show that the World Cup is not only a competition,but also a way to bring everyone together while still providing exciting games.”
“The World Cup is a great combination of rivalry and sharing the same love for the same sport. It’s also a mixture of different cultures all in one,” said Safi.
Despite any conflicts the countries might have with one another, the World Cup acts as a symbol of equality and harmony between all nations meanwhile supplying soccer fans with exciting games and competition. Thousands from around the world will do anything to be able to sit in the stands of the games, while millions watch them behind a TV screen.
“I hope it will make the countries that don’t like each other to like each other,” said sophomore Beniyam Eshetu.
There are 32 outstanding teams participating in the competition this year after playing tournament after tournament, and trying their hardest to qualify out of the 200 teams that played. Italy took home the winning trophy after beating France 5 to 3 in the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Many AHS students have already predicted who will win this year’s World Cup.
“I really hope Argentina wins this year. They have already won two titles and they have many great players making it a major contender this year,” said junior Julian Jordan.
