Football mania

Football mania

Russia looks set to stage the greatest sporting show on earth.

With the biggest sporting extravaganza kicking off today in Russia, Fifa World Cup 2018 is set to capture the imagination of worldwide audiences for the next 30 days. A total of 32 teams will compete for the highest honour in world football ranging from tiny Iceland to traditional powerhouses Germany and Brazil. Notable exclusions this year are Italy, the Netherlands and USA, all of whom failed to make it through the qualifiers. Nonetheless, with teams like Panama, Morocco and Peru making the cut, there are signs that footballing excellence is slowly but surely getting democratised.

The spotlight no doubt will be on host Russia. While much success isn’t expected from the Russian team itself, this is President Vladimir Putin’s chance to showcase Russian soft power. The World Cup comes at a time when Russia is looking to reverse some of the negative press it has received in recent years. From Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 to interference in the US presidential election in 2016 to accusations of attempting assassinations on British soil this year, Moscow’s image in the West today has changed dramatically from 2010 – when it bid successfully to host this year’s World Cup.

If Moscow is hoping to project soft power with the World Cup, Russian authorities must curb hooliganism over the next month. Violent Russian football fans have gained notoriety in recent years, clashing violently with English fans at Marseille during the 2016 European Championships. Meanwhile, the group stage matches portend some spicy encounters. Spain versus Portugal on June 15 is definitely one to watch out for, as will be Morocco versus Iran on the same day. Argentina in Group D appear to have a tricky road to the knockout stages, having to fend off Iceland, Croatia and Nigeria first.

Brazil in Group E look more comfortable with Switzerland, Costa Rica and Serbia in their draw. Defending champions Germany are the clear favourites in Group F, having to contend with Mexico, Sweden and South Korea. Watch out for Belgium in Group G even though they have to negotiate England on June 28. Group H with Poland, Senegal, Colombia and Japan appears to be the most open one, while France and Denmark should go through in Group C. But then again, football is a game of surprises, which could come from Uruguay, Tunisia and Mexico. As the world prepares to binge on football, some edge-of-the-seat thrillers can only enhance the action.