9781422284278

CHAPTER GREATEST WORLD CUP MOMENTS No sport on the entire planet comes close to rivaling the popularity of soccer. Known as football outside of the U.S. and Canada, soccer is the world’s game. It is played in more than 200 countries by more than 265 million people, not counting makeshift games on city streets or in fields using rocks and tree stumps for goalposts.

The game is also the world’s most popular professional sport. More than 50 million fans flock to stadiums in England, Germany, Spain, and France every season. And these four countries just scratch the surface. More than 25 countries have major professional soccer leagues, from Mexico and Turkey to South Africa and the U.A.E. Perhaps the best illustration for American audiences can come from comparing with an event they know. The National Football League (NFL) championship game, the Super Bowl, is the most popular televised event in the U.S. More than 114 million viewers in the U.S. watched Super Bowl XLIX in February of 2015, which is a record. The broadcast also drew another 46 million viewers across the globe, for a total of about 160 million. That’s a lot. Compared to soccer’s biggest event, however, 160 million fails to impress. The World Cup is a soccer tournament held every four years since 1930, featuring 32 qualifying teams from countries in six regions across the globe. In 2006, the event was held in Germany, and the final match featured the teams from Italy and France. More than 260 million people tuned in live to watch Italy claim victory. That 260 million includes verified viewers in 90 percent of the world’s TV markets. It is estimated that total viewership was closer to 400 million. That is anywhere from 60 to 150 percent more viewers than watched Super Bowl XLIX. The World Cup attracts this kind of attention because it brings together the greatest players in the world representing their nations for the global championship of the world’s most popular sport. It is no surprise that over its history, the World Cup has produced some of the sport’s greatest moments.

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