The World Cup is pretty much always awesome, but this one has extra-awesome potential.
The drama has actually already started.
The World Cup is eight months off and it already has mad drama going: Portugal and Sweden failed to advance out of their regional qualifying groups and now must face one another in a playoff; the winning team goes to the World Cup and the losing team GETS NOTHING AND LIKES IT. This is a really big deal because it means that one of the top players in the world, either Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo or Sweden's Zlatan Ibrahimović, will not be participating in the tournament. So to say the stakes are high for this matchup is an understatement.
Getty / AFP
And then there's Mexico.
The current Mexican national team has been ridiculed everywhere for their terrible performance. They're now in the same situation as Portugal and Sweden — having failed to qualify in their group, they're in a playoff for a Cup slot with New Zealand. Now, if Portugal or Sweden doesn't make the World Cup against stiff European competition, it's a disappointment. But if Mexico, the country with by far the greatest soccer tradition and largest fan base in North America, doesn't make it...well, let's not even imagine the consequences. (Though they won the first game of their two-game playoff 5-1 yesterday — whoever scores the most goals in the two games wins — and are probably safe.)
Getty / Hector Vivas
Can Team USA make a run?
The USMNT is finally performing at a level befitting the fact that soccer has been a fairly popular sport in this country for going on four decades. During a stellar summer, they won their qualifying group and put together a 12-game win streak on their way to becoming CONCACAF Gold Cup champions. Nobody really knows how well this team will play in Brazil against world powerhouses, but with players like Michael Bradley, Tim Howard, Landon Donovan, and Clint Dempsey having proven themselves in top overseas leagues, a lack of talent is no longer an excuse for the American squad. The Yanks aren't the underdogs anymore, which is fine, because everyone always hated us anyway.
Will England once again make the world LOL?
Despite winning their qualifying group this year and reaching the quarterfinals in 2002 and 2006, England is not among the top eight seeds for the 2014 Cup. They have talented strikers and defensemen, but they're weak in other areas and are historically...unpredictable. But given the ardency of England's fans, it really doesn't matter if they SHOULD win. Everyone's going to hilariously freak the hell out if they lose no matter what.
Getty / Laurence Griffiths