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Why I Watch The World Cup

 

I am no sports fanatic, nor am I a football geek. I barely know all the rules of football. I only know a few of the popular football players’ names and the rest of the time, I barely even know what club they play for, or what their records are. Yet, time and again I find myself watching the World Cup.

You might mistake me for one of the girls who watches football or the World Cup for the popular players and how good looking they are, when I say that. But, no, that is not it.  I think I started watching the World Cup back from the 2010 one, when I was in high school. We even got a holiday at school because the Principal knew everyone would watch the final game which was late at night. I watched it alone. My elder brother had gone out to watch the match with friends and my eldest brother was out of the country. My parents did not watch the football matches. So, I watched it all alone at midnight surrounded by snacks in the TV room. That was how much I wanted to watch.

Our country Nepal has never played in the World Cup in the almost one century of its initiation. Hopefully, some day. But never, yet, so far. And yet, we cheer for our favorite countries in the World Cup. This is the reason I watch the World Cup. It somehow brings the world together. Whether your country is playing or not, whether you understand football or not, whether you know the players or not, you watch it because the whole world is watching with you. The world has united in its love for football. The world sings along to the anthem of the World Cup every four years. There are no hard rules except that the team who manages to score most wins. You see the excitement in the stadium, people jump with every goal or every close call.  People cheer and people hope.  None of this has been said through words. But you feel it. You feel and you understand the happiness on their faces or the disappointment on their faces despite you knowing the language they speak. You realize that they are on the edge of their seats and with them, you are at the edge of your seat at your home. And this is why I watch the World Cup even though I barely watch football games at other times.

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