Stories, Players to Follow at Upcoming World Cup
2022-11-19
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1Will you be watching the World Cup when it begins November 20 with the game between Ecuador and host country Qatar?
2The soccer tournament is normally played in the summer, but this year it will start in the late autumn and finish in winter.
3That is due to very high temperatures in the Middle East in the summer.
4If you like to watch the World Cup but do not watch world soccer all year long, here are some of the major stories to follow.
5Here's how it works.
6The 32 teams are placed into eight groups of four.
7The teams in each group play each other once.
8Those with the best records move into a 16-team elimination stage.
9At that point, teams will go home if they lose.
10Most days will have four games -- until the elimination stage begins.
11The first day with no games is December 7. The final game is December 18.
12Which country will come out on top?
13The top teams in the world are Brazil, Belgium, Argentina, France and England.
14France is trying to win for the second time in a row.
15Brazil is looking for its sixth championship.
16Argentina has not lost in 35 games and would like to win one World Cup before Lionel Messi stops playing the sport.
17England has not played well lately, going winless in six games.
18But England has done well in recent international events like the European Championship.
19Belgium is the second-ranked team in the world and has been considered one of the top teams in recent World Cups.
20However, the Belgian players who were known as "the golden generation" are getting older.
21The health of Romelo Lukaku, one of the team's top goal scorers, is in question.
22Brazil has two strong players, Neymar and Vinicius Junior, and is currently in good shape.
23The South American nation is hoping for its first World Cup since 2002.
24Lionel Messi of Argentina is known as the best player in the world.
25He has won the world's best player award seven times.
26If he can help Argentina win, he may become known as the best soccer player ever.
27He is 35 years old and playing well for his team in Paris, but this could be his final World Cup.
28Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal is one of the most famous players in the world.
29He helped his country win the European Championship and has the most-ever goals in international games.
30However, he has never come close to winning the World Cup, and this will be his fifth try.
31He is also near the end of his career, so this may the last time he will play in the big tournament.
32Kylian Mbappe became famous four years ago when he helped France win the World Cup at just 19 years old. He is even better now.
33If France wins, Mbappe will match Brazilian star Pele in winning his first two World Cups.
34Kevin De Bruyne is Belgium's top playmaker and could help the world's Number 2 team finally win a World Cup.
35South Korea is concerned about the health of its top player, Heung-min Son.
36He is coming back from a facial injury suffered while playing with England's Tottenham Hotspur on November 1.
37Last year, Son tied with Mohammed Salah of Egypt for the most goals in the English Premier League.
38Son recently said he would play in Qatar with a protective face covering.
39Neymar of Brazil is sometimes outshined by Messi and Mbappe, who play with him in Paris.
40But he is the number-one player for his home country.
41Qatar plays against Ecuador on Sunday, November 20.
42The first game of a World Cup is always important.
43Argentina plays Mexico on November 26.
44A win would likely put Argentina into the elimination stage.
45On November 27, Spain and Germany play.
46They are two of the recent World Cup winners and experts call them "giants" of world soccer.
47Two days later, on November 29, the United States plays Iran.
48The countries will meet in the group stage, just as they did in 1998.
49Some are calling it "The Mother of All Games Part II," as the countries continue to have a difficult relationship after ending diplomatic ties in 1980.
50I'm Caty Weaver. And I'm Dan Friedell.
1Will you be watching the World Cup when it begins November 20 with the game between Ecuador and host country Qatar? 2The soccer tournament is normally played in the summer, but this year it will start in the late autumn and finish in winter. That is due to very high temperatures in the Middle East in the summer. 3If you like to watch the World Cup but do not watch world soccer all year long, here are some of the major stories to follow. 4How it works 5Here's how it works. The 32 teams are placed into eight groups of four. The teams in each group play each other once. Those with the best records move into a 16-team elimination stage. At that point, teams will go home if they lose. 6Most days will have four games -- until the elimination stage begins. The first day with no games is December 7. The final game is December 18. 7Top teams 8Which country will come out on top? 9The top teams in the world are Brazil, Belgium, Argentina, France and England. 10France is trying to win for the second time in a row. Brazil is looking for its sixth championship. Argentina has not lost in 35 games and would like to win one World Cup before Lionel Messi stops playing the sport. England has not played well lately, going winless in six games. But England has done well in recent international events like the European Championship. 11Belgium is the second-ranked team in the world and has been considered one of the top teams in recent World Cups. However, the Belgian players who were known as "the golden generation" are getting older. The health of Romelo Lukaku, one of the team's top goal scorers, is in question. 12Brazil has two strong players, Neymar and Vinicius Junior, and is currently in good shape. The South American nation is hoping for its first World Cup since 2002. 13Top players 14Lionel Messi of Argentina is known as the best player in the world. He has won the world's best player award seven times. If he can help Argentina win, he may become known as the best soccer player ever. He is 35 years old and playing well for his team in Paris, but this could be his final World Cup. 15Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal is one of the most famous players in the world. He helped his country win the European Championship and has the most-ever goals in international games. However, he has never come close to winning the World Cup, and this will be his fifth try. He is also near the end of his career, so this may the last time he will play in the big tournament. 16Kylian Mbappe became famous four years ago when he helped France win the World Cup at just 19 years old. He is even better now. If France wins, Mbappe will match Brazilian star Pele in winning his first two World Cups. 17Kevin De Bruyne is Belgium's top playmaker and could help the world's Number 2 team finally win a World Cup. 18South Korea is concerned about the health of its top player, Heung-min Son. He is coming back from a facial injury suffered while playing with England's Tottenham Hotspur on November 1. Last year, Son tied with Mohammed Salah of Egypt for the most goals in the English Premier League. Son recently said he would play in Qatar with a protective face covering. 19Neymar of Brazil is sometimes outshined by Messi and Mbappe, who play with him in Paris. But he is the number-one player for his home country. 20Qatar plays against Ecuador on Sunday, November 20. The first game of a World Cup is always important. 21Argentina plays Mexico on November 26. A win would likely put Argentina into the elimination stage. 22On November 27, Spain and Germany play. They are two of the recent World Cup winners and experts call them "giants" of world soccer. 23Two days later, on November 29, the United States plays Iran. The countries will meet in the group stage, just as they did in 1998. Some are calling it "The Mother of All Games Part II," as the countries continue to have a difficult relationship after ending diplomatic ties in 1980. 24I'm Caty Weaver. And I'm Dan Friedell. 25Dan Friedell adapted this story for VOA Learning English based on a report by Steve Douglas of the Associated Press. 26_____________________________________________________________ 27Words in This Story 28host -n. an organization (in this case, a country) that provides the things that are needed for an event 29tournament -n. a sports competition where a number of games are played in order to determine a winner 30elimination -n. the process of removing something 31rank -v. to place something in an order 32giant -adj. very large or important 33______________________________________________________________ 34We want to hear from you. Who will you be cheering for at the World Cup? 35We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 36Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.