SOCCER

Are you ready for some fútbol? World Cup 2022 is underway in Qatar, but you don’t have to be an expert on soccer — or football, as most of the world calls it — to enjoy the planet’s most-watched sports competition.

Amid a brutal 2022 World Cup group that features two European giants, Japan knew they would need to spring an upset or two to qualify for the knockout stage. They did just that in their opening match, coming from behind Wednesday to defeat Germany, 2-1, in shocking fashion.

Since coming back to England, I always get asked the question: “What’s the standard like in Japan?” I always say the same thing: It’s fantastic, these players are technicians. They can keep the ball against anyone.

The FIFA World Cup is always a special occasion with the tournament only coming around once every four years. In 2022, football fans have had to wait even longer with the decision to host the World Cup in Qatar pushing back the usual start date from June to November.

Women’s World Cup 2023 in Australia and New Zealand is set to break attendance records with fans snapping up tickets in unprecedented numbers. FIFA have revealed in the opening month of ticket sales for next year’s event that more tickets have been sold than in the first four months of sales for the 2019 edition in France.