The FIFA World Cup is back!
From June 11 through July 19, soccer — or what most of the world calls football — takes over the international sports scene. A total of 104 matches will be played over the next month in what is the 23rd edition of the men’s World Cup.
Lucky for us, this year’s tournament takes place right here in the Americas, with matches being held in 16 host cities across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. The final match will be played at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
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New this year, the field has been expanded from 32 teams to 48 across 12 groups. Each team plays each opponent in its group, and then the top two teams from each group, as well as the eight best third-place teams, advance to the knockout stage.
There’s plenty of hype both globally and locally as another exciting tournament kicks off.
Soccer holds a special place for Father Chin Nguyen, parochial vicar for St. Luke’s Parish in Whitestone. He was born in Vietnam and grew up playing the sport known as “bong da” in Vietnamese daily.
“Soccer is one of the cheapest sports,” said Father Nguyen, who was ordained a priest in 2021 and is set to be transferred to St. Gregory the Great, Bellerose. “We played with a plastic ball, or we’d make a ball out of hay or straw.”
The games were so popular among the Vietnamese youth that they had to take turns playing. Teams of four or five squared off against each other while all the other children watched. It almost turned into a mini neighborhood-style World Cup.
“When we were little … we used a grapefruit. Later on, in fourth or fifth grade, everyone put in a few dollars, and we were able to buy a soccer ball,” he said. “We played on the street, in the backyard, and really wherever we could play.”
Father Nguyen said he remembers watching the 1994 World Cup on television. That was the last time the tournament was held in the Americas, with the final match played at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. He was only 7 years old at the time but remembered Brazil defeating Italy in the final match.
Since his arrival in the U.S. in September 2010, Father Nguyen has remained a huge soccer fan. He follows several national teams and thoroughly enjoys international tournaments such as the Olympics and World Cup.
He was rooting for Italy, but the Italian team did not qualify among the 48-team field. Instead, Father Nguyen is hoping for big things from Brazil, France, defending 2022 World Cup champion Argentina, Portugal, and the host U.S.
The U.S. has never won a men’s World Cup. The team’s best-ever finish came in 1930 — the tournament’s inaugural year — when they placed third. This year, the Americans are in a group with Paraguay, Australia, and Turkey.
Heading into the tournament, France and Spain are listed as the favorites. All you have to do is advance to the knockout stage, and then anything can happen, Father Nguyen said.
“This is important for soccer fans,” he said. “Football is the world’s game. It helps bring people together, no matter what language they speak. Fans eat, sleep, and watch soccer. Everyone has been waiting for this moment.”
The great thing about soccer worldwide is that you don’t need much to get started. You just need a ball and an open space. So it can be played pretty much anywhere on the globe, which adds to the sport’s unifying feel.
During the tumultuous times we live in, this World Cup is providing a much-needed respite from all that is going on. Even if just for a short time, we are all one, with everyone competing toward a common goal.
“Catholicism is universal, and soccer is a universal sport,” Father Nguyen said. “The teams are here to play the games and respect one another. Everybody has the hope and dream of bringing a victory back home.”
He added that he sees the same values in the World Cup as coming together to pray.
“It’s a way to bring peace and unity to those who come to Mass or watch a football match,” he said. “During the World Cup, players will leave behind everything else that’s happening out there.
“Now is the time for them to play and for the fans to support them.”
So over the next few weeks, enjoy some competitive bong da!