Soccer World Cup Starts
On June 9th, 2006 the 18th FIFA World CupTM opened in Germany with a match between the host country and Costa Rica. This is the world’s most anticipated and popular sporting event, with the total television audience for the 2002 World Cup matches amounting to nearly 30 billion viewers, or an average of 340 million persons per match in over 200 countries (almost four times the single Super Bowl audience in 2006).
This year, the 32 countries are competing in a single, united Germany for the first time. Germany is a three time winner. The overall FIFA World CupTM winner is Brazil, which has won five times, including the 2002 Cup in Japan/Korea where they defeated Germany. The World Cup was first held in Uruguay in 1930, but its origins actually lie in ancient China.
Two thousand years ago a game similar to soccer, apparently with teams and stadiums, was played during the Han dynasty (206 BCE - 220 AD). The first illustration of a Chinese football player is from 123 AD. A few hundred years later, evidence for the first balls with air-filled bladders is also found in China (they were considered valuable objects), as are the origins of the word “football.” Early Chinese teams fielded six players. China did not qualify for the 2006 World Cup, but the growing popularity of the sport in the world’s largest nation is likely to change this for future tournaments.
Today soccer is the most international of all sports, although it is not nearly as popular in the United States as elsewhere. America is one of the 2006 competitors.
One of the most exciting things about FIFA World CupTM matches is that there is no correlation between the size of a country and its competitive performance. Although the Czech Republic is one of the smallest countries in the Cup, it is one of the few thought able to defeat the favorites, Brazil, a country with nearly 20 times its population. For its part, in 1950, the US was reponsible for a 1-0 upset victory over favorites England, helping to knock them out of contention.
Brazil is not only possibly the most soccer-crazed nation in the world, it is also the most well-liked team globally. This is due to the great flair and artistry of Brazilian soccer, its fast paced offense and star players of all races who play together with such harmony. Brazil also plays with a unique team formation of 4 defenders, 2 mid-fielders and 4 offensive players, whereas others favor more conservative 4-3-3 or 4-4-2 formations. Brazil’s defenders are also frequent goal scorers. This makes for a potent mixture of total soccer that enthralls millions around the globe who otherwise might have trouble locating Brazil on a map. With Ronaldinho, Brazil also has the greatest soccer player alive today, an attacking mid-fielder who plays for FC Barcelona in Spain and is the winner of the 2006 European Footballer of the Year award. Some are even saying that he is as good as Pele, a fellow Brazilian who won three previous World Cups and is considered the greatest player ever.
All 64 matches of the 2006 FIFA World CupTM will also be shown for the first time in high-definition TV. The Spanish Univision channel will broadcast all games live in the US, while ESPN2 and ABC will share showing matches live with English commentary. For more details and information, visit www.FIFAworldcup.com. Four years ago, it was the most visited sports website in history.
The official tournament mascot is GOLEO VI, a loveable lion whose sidekick is Pille the talking football. Together, they hope to inspire the fun, intelligence and sportsmanship essential to making the FIFA World CupTM a success.
