The World Cup is upon us! In the next month 32 different countries will vie to be the soccer champion of the world. Here’s a few things to know.
- The first World Cup was in 1930 in Uruguay. It happens every four years, and this one, the 20th, is being played in Brazil.
- Here’s a list of the games. For the first round there are three games every day, at 11, 2 pm and 5 pm Central. That lasts until June 26 when the elimination rounds begin.
- The final will be played July 13 in Rio De Janeiro.
- ESPN and ABC are broadcasting all of the games. The bulk, 43 of them, are on ESPN.
- The local New Orleans Spanish-language ESPN affiliate, 1280 AM, should have some of the games on the radio. Some other games will be broadcast on Tropical Caliente. Always fun to listen in Spanish. You can also listen online via the BBC.
- And here’s some advice on how to watch games without getting in trouble at work.
See the full schedule of games airing at Finn McCool's, a noted hotspot for World Cup watchers here in New Orleans.
There are some cool apps you can download to follow scores on your phone.
Listen here for some additional thoughts and tips on where to watch and experience the World Cup here in New Orleans.
As your local public service media, we took the time to create a one-of-a-kind map that lists places to not only watch games around New Orleans, but to watch at establishments and with people who represent the countries in the tournament. Enjoy! And let us know in the comment section if you know of any other local gems to watch at. We'd love to know.
If you’ve never experienced the World Cup, it really is something not to miss. As a kid who grew up collecting world flags and currency, and was a bit of a soccer stud, it is my happy place. I was lucky enough to be at the last one in South Africa, the first ever on the African continent. I'll never forget sitting with 30,000 Mexican fans as they taunted the mighty French, watching their beloved “Tri” team beat les Blues 2-0. On the car ride back to Johannesburg, both sets of fans ran into each other at a truck stop, and good natured singing and ribbing ensued.
The feeling of the air rushing out of the shabines (speakeasys) of Johannesburg when their Bafana Bafana boys were eliminated from the Cup also stays with me. But the city picked itself up and embraced Ghana, who I watched beat the U.S. in overtime in the second round. Ghana was then an Uruguayan handball away from the semifinals, more heartbreak in bars around South Africa. To top it all off, I found myself watching the all European final with Spanish and Dutch embassy employees on the roof of the Brazilian cultural center in Maputo, Mozambique. It all seems like a dream now.
Which is all to say, do whatever you have to do to watch a game or two over the next month. And in addition to screaming for the U.S. team, make sure you spill beer with somebody from a different part of the world, cheering for their home country. You’ll never forget it.
— Jesse Hardman with Jason Saul, Kate Richardson and Laine Kaplan-Levenson