World Cup: 100 things I can’t wait to see!

41. FOX being forced to root for Mexico

The USA didn’t make the World Cup. This is a known fact. Because of that, FOX will become the home of Mexican soccer. Mexico’s matches will get more hype than ever, especially the contest against Germany on Father’s Day, June 17th.

42. Mexico getting to the quarterfinals

El Tri fans have suffered for years. 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, and 2014 ended in a Round of 16 defeat. 2018 could be different for Mexico. They would likely face Brazil in the Round of 16 but a first-place finish in Group F could mean a game against the Swiss, Serbia, or Costa Rica. The curse could be lifted.

43. How Peru ends up playing

Peru was the last team to qualify for the World Cup. A 2-0 win against New Zealand sent the citizens of Peru into a frenzy. A national holiday was even declared hours after the win. Peru is in Group C alongside France, Denmark, and Australia. This team is new and they could be one of the Cinderellas.

44. Belgium’s chemistry problem being solved

Belgium is teeming with superstars. They couldn’t get to the semifinals in the last two major tournaments and this one might bring a different result. Roberto Martinez might have solved the chemistry issue and could have the best eleven picked out for the Red Devils. Belgium should be taken much more seriously now than ever before.

45. How Group H plays out

The Group of Life features Poland, Senegal, Colombia, and Japan. All four of these teams could finish in first and all four could finish in last. We could have a two or three-way tie for first in this group.

46. Serbia defense against Brazil’s offense

Serbia has defenders standing as tall as 6’5”. Brazil’s attackers are around 5’7”, 5’8”. How will this not be fun to watch?

47. The number of games on network TV in America

More than half of the games for the World Cup will be on the big FOX. I remember when they didn’t even show every World Cup game in America. Soccer has taken huge strides in the United States.

48. The time zones in Russia

Russia is a pretty big country. So big they have ELEVEN TIME ZONES! Four of those time zones will be in play for the World Cup. Make sure your alarms are ready and be ready to completely destroy your sleep schedule.

49. The mascot – Zabivaka

It’s a wolf with sports goggles dabbing. You have got to love this dude.

50. The ball – Telstar

It looks like they ran out of ink when they printed it but it has grown on me. It is a good soccer ball.