The clock is ticking with Brazil set to kick off the tournament against Croatia at Arena de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, preceded by the opening ceremony. 32 nations from the various continents of the world unite in one location. They will compete in the 20th world cup tournament to insure a place in the final in Rio on the 13th of July.
"Let me tell you the time has arrived. We are going together. This is our World Cup," says the Brazilian coach Luis Felipe Scolari. Some say no European team can win in South America, others say that Brazil has a major home court advantage. Brazil is aiming to win their 6th title, while Spain wants to break further records by winning its fourth major tournament in a row after their victory in the European Championship two years ago. Messi aims for his first world cup title with an impressive Argentinian forward line, while Spain has the Xavi-Iniesta double act in midfield. Or will Germany finally achieve its dream after reaching the semi finals in the last three tournaments? Unfortunately, key players will be missed in this world cup due to injuries; French star Franck Ribery, Radamel Falcao from Colombia, Marco Reus the German winger, Riccardo Montolivo from Italy, Theo Walcott from England, Thiago Alcantara the Spanish midfielder, and the list goes on...
Eight national teams have won the 19 previous tournaments; Brazil holds five stars, followed by Italy with four, Germany claims 3 stars, Argentina and Uruguay two titles each, and finally England, Spain and France with one title each. Despite the above diversity however, in Lebanon we have a weird phenomenon, as the fans are mainly split in two; Brazil and Germany. I am not saying there are no Italians, Spanish or Argentinians, but we can all agree that the majority is either Brazilian or German fans. It doesn't end here, it has created rivalry against the two; it's almost like politics but in a fun kind of way. In this time of the year, we see flags on every balcony, car, café, and many others. We tend to become so competitive as if it were our national team competing in Rio. I am not judging because to tell you the truth, I am one of them : -)
I have always enjoyed listening to people's theories and looking at statistics. I, for instance, am a German fan; some will say obviously due to my level of criticism :P I hope the German team wins but so far the odds are not in our favor. So who do you nominate for the world cup? Who do you think will win this tournament?
At last, may the best team win!!
By Stephanie B.
