Soccer (or football, as it's known in the rest of the world) has been called "the beautiful game" because of the way it's played, how goals are scored, and the unpredictability of it all. Never was there a better demonstration of that than in Sunday's FIFA men's World Cup final in Qatar between Argentina and France. For ninety minutes of regulation and thirty minutes of extra time, the two sides battled to a 3-3 draw, led by goal-scoring legends Lionel Messi of Argentina and Kylian Mbappe of France. Then in the penalty shootout, Argentina outlasted France 4-2 to win its first Cup since 1986, setting off all sorts of celebrations in Buenos Aires and environs. This is the best soccer has to offer, and most observers seemed to agree.
Croatia defeated Morocco to win third place, which is considered historic for the African country. The little-regarded United States team got as far as the Round of 16 before Netherlands defeated them, which is quite a feat considering the Americans did not qualify for the 2018 Cup.
With apologies to Alessia Cara, the fact that this World Cup was held in Qatar exposed some scars to the "beautiful game" and who runs it. This was a country that few know how to pronounce correctly, and is a little known Middle East fiefdom that saw no problem in limiting the rights of certain populations that resulted in bans on forms of clothing suggesting protest, or sacrificing the lives of migrant workers (allegedly against their will) to help build all those massive soccer stadiums in such a tiny country. But they did show FIFA the money, and that's what counts. Just like what it took for the Olympic Games to be held in Russia or China. Also, two journalists died while covering this World Cup: Longtime American soccer correspondent Grant Wahl, and a photojournalist working for a Qatar TV channel.
Add to this the failure of a professional European soccer league, an American women's soccer league in crisis over allegations of various forms of harassment, and Major League Soccer's new TV deal with Apple TV + (home of "Ted Lasso") that lets Fox have some matches, but local telecasts go behind a paywall.
The next FIFA men's World Cup will be in North America in 2026, split between the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Unlike Qatar, it will be played in the normal summer months of June and July, where you're not competing with the NFL and disrupting other European leagues. Here's another opportunity for soccer to prove it can be beautiful without showing its scars.
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