The most anticipated, most watched and nation joining sporting tournament on the planet is finally upon us, The 2022 Fifa World Cup! During this time, it is largely common to find people of all nationalities together all over the world in front of a screen of some sort, even if they’re not normally football fans. Last night, the opening ceremony was an exciting yet diverse display of local Brazilian dancers and performers with special performances from Jennifer Lopez and Mr World Wide aka Pitbull.
The coveted tournament opened with the hosts Brazil taking on Croatia in a sticky game, ending in a 3-1 victory for the home team with star man Neymar scoring twice after Brazil went 1 nil down early on.
However, it hasn’t all been smooth-sailing for Brazil. Since the clock struck midnight on the eve of the World Cup, Brazilian airports have experienced walkouts, with staff reportedly demanding pay raises during the World Cup, leaving a large quantity of football enthusiasts in disbelief as they are told their flights have been cancelled on the opening day. Meanwhile, the streets of São Paulo have been riddled with students and workers unhappy about the money the host nation have spent on the world cup. The protesters’ plans to travel to the city’s stadiums seem to have been foiled early on when met by Brazilian riot police accompanied by tear gas. However, this only delayed the inevitable as Brazilian protesters gathered outside of the stadium during and after the opening game.
England begin their World Cup campaign with a rather difficult opening fixture against Italy this Saturday night. It’s set to be the an enthralling encounter as Roy Hodgson and many of the England internationals have a lot to prove in what may turn out to be a very challenging run of group stage games.
The first few fixtures set to be played in the tropical heat of Brazil include hotly anticipated clashes between Spain and Holland tonight, England vs. Italy tomorrow and Germany vs. Portugal on Monday.
What matches are you most looking forward to watching?
