Stories, Players to Follow at Upcoming World Cup

Stories, Players to Follow at Upcoming World Cup

Will you be watching the World Cup when it begins November 20 with the game between Ecuador and host country Qatar?

The soccer tournament¹ is normally² played in the summer, but this year it will start in the late autumn and finish in winter. That is due³ to very high temperatures in the Middle East in the summer.

If 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.

How it works⁴

Here'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 elimination⁵ stage. At that point, teams will go home if they lose.

Most 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.

Top teams

Which country will come out on top?

The top teams in the world are Brazil, Belgium, Argentina, France and England.

France 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.

Belgium 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 known⁶ as "the golden⁷ generation" are getting older. The health of Romelo Lukaku, one of the team's top goal scorers, is in question.

Brazil has two strong players, Neymar and Vinicius Junior, and is currently⁸ in good shape. The South American nation is hoping for its first World Cup since 2002.

Top players

Lionel 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.

Cristiano 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 winning⁹ 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.

Kylian 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 Brazilian¹⁰ star Pele in winning his first two World Cups.

Kevin De Bruyne is Belgium's top playmaker and could help the world's Number 2 team finally win a World Cup.

South Korea¹¹ is concerned about the health of its top player, Heung-min Son. He is coming back from a facial¹² 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 Premier¹³ League. Son recently said he would play in Qatar with a protective¹⁴ face covering.

Neymar 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.

Games to watch:

Qatar plays against Ecuador on Sunday, November 20. The first game of a World Cup is always important.

Argentina plays Mexico on November 26. A win would likely put Argentina into the elimination stage.

On November 27, Spain and Germany play. They are two of the recent World Cup winners and experts call them "giants" of world soccer.

Two days later, on November 29, the United¹⁵ 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 diplomatic¹⁶ ties in 1980.

Words in This Story

host –n. an organization (in this case, a country) that provides the things that are needed for an event

tournament –n. a sports competition where a number of games are played in order to determine a winner

elimination –n. the process of removing something

rank –v. to place something in an order

giant –adj. very large or important

1 tournament   

n.比赛，竞赛，锦标赛

参考例句：

• He was the best boxer in the tournament.他是本届联赛的最佳拳手。
• The Council resolved that the next tournament should be held in Shanghai.理事会决定下次比赛在上海举行。

2 normally   

adv.正常地，通常地

参考例句：

• I normally do all my shopping on Saturdays.我通常在星期六买东西。
• My pulse beats normally.我脉搏正常。

3 due   

n.应得物；adj.预定的，应付的，到期的，应有的

参考例句：

• I received nothing except what was due to me.除了我应得的东西，我并未接受任何东西。
• The rocket is due to lift off at noon on Friday.火箭定于星期五中午发射。

4 works   

n.作品，著作；工厂，活动部件，机件

参考例句：

• We expect writers to produce more and better works.我们期望作家们写出更多更好的作品。
• The novel is regarded as one of the classic works.这篇小说被公认为是最优秀的作品之一。

5 elimination   

n.排除，消除，消灭

参考例句：

• Their elimination from the competition was a great surprise.他们在比赛中遭到淘汰是个很大的意外。
• I was eliminated from the 400 metres in the semi-finals.我在400米半决赛中被淘汰。

6 known   

adj.大家知道的；知名的，已知的

参考例句：

• He is a known artist.他是一个知名的艺术家。
• He is known both as a painter and as a statesman.他是知名的画家及政治家。

7 golden   

adj.金的，含金的，可贵的，金色的，贵重的，繁盛的

参考例句：

• My teacher is an Englishman with golden hair.我的老师是一个金黄色头发的英国人。
• It's a balmy evening,the golden time for lovers.这是一个暖和的夜晚，是恋人们的黄金时光。

8 currently   

adv.通常地，普遍地，当前

参考例句：

• Currently it is not possible to reconcile this conflicting evidence.当前还未有可能去解释这一矛盾的例证。
• Our contracts are currently under review.我们的合同正在复查。

9 winning   

adj.获胜的，胜利的；吸引人的，有说服力的

参考例句：

• Team A has no chance of winning.A队没有获胜的可能。
• They have great hopes of winning.他们获胜的希望极大。

10 Brazilian   

n. 巴西人;a. 巴西的, 巴西人的

参考例句：

• It was a great showing by the Brazilian team.这场比赛成了巴西队的表演赛。
• Why don't we try some Brazilian food? 我们为什么不吃巴西人的食物呢？

11 Korea   

n.朝鲜(亚洲)

参考例句：

• Korea lies to the east of China.韩国位于中国东面。
• Korea and China are separated by only the Yalu River.朝鲜和中国只隔一条鸭绿江。

12 facial   

adj.面部的，脸上的

参考例句：

• I've made an appointment for a facial tomorrow.我约好明天去做美容。
• The chimpanzee uses facial expressions for communication.黑猩猩用面部表情进行交流。

13 premier   

adj.首要的；n.总理，首相

参考例句：

• The Irish Premier is paying an official visit to Britain.爱尔兰总理正在对英国进行正式访问。
• He requested that the premier grant him an internview.他要求那位总理接见他一次。

14 protective   

adj.防护的，保护的

参考例句：

• A mother naturally feels protective towards her children.做母亲的天生要保护自己的孩子。
• We feel safe with a protective device in the house.我们因为家里有了防护装置而感到安全。

15 united   

adj.和谐的；团结的；联合的，统一的

参考例句：

• The whole nation is closely united.全国人民紧密团结。
• The two men were united by community of interests.共同的利益使两个人结合在一起。

16 diplomatic   

adj.外交的，从事外交的，策略的，有手腕的

参考例句：

• There are certain forms that must be followed in diplomatic circles.在外交界有一些礼节是必须遵守的。
• You must be more diplomatic in handling the situation.你在处理这一情况时，必须圆滑。