The FIFA World Cup is an international soccer competition in which many countries participate. The event takes place every four years, with the most recent winner being France in 2018. The tournament began on November 20th in Qatar, and teams will continue to play until the championship game on December 18th. There are eight groups of four teams, and after all the initial games have been played, the bottom two teams from each group are eliminated.
So far, the United States has tied against Wales and England and has beaten Iran with a score of 1-0. They have advanced to the next round and will play the Netherlands on Saturday, although their best player, Christian Pulisic, is injured with a pelvic contusion. His questionable status is crucial for the next game since he serves as a leader for the team.
In addition to injured players, some larger, controversial issues pertaining to the World Cup have surfaced in recent weeks. Two days before the first game, it was announced that alcoholic beverages would not be sold in the stadium. Budweiser, one of the major FIFA sponsors, had an agreement with FIFA to sell alcoholic beverages outside the stadium, but the beer tents were moved to less public areas. In addition, the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) posted an altered version of the Iranian flag on their social media accounts. Insulted by the act, the Iranian regime called on FIFA to suspend the United States team for ten games. The USSF said that they decided to change the flag to “show support for the women in Iran fighting for basic human rights.”
Despite the many controversies surrounding the tournament, fans are still excited about the event, and there is a long road ahead for the teams still in it.
By: Bennett Szafranski (12th)