All eyes are on North America as it hosts the 23rd World Cup, an international soccer tournament held every four years.
Despite pre-tournament concerns of traveling to the U.S., stadiums in the U.S., Mexico and Canada have been sold out and raucous scenes of foreigners taking over cities, such as Scottish fans in Boston, have been common.
Read more: World Cup turnout defies concerns, as Americans flock for the spectacle
The tournament began on June 11 with group stage qualifying. That wraps up this weekend, with knockout games starting next week.
This year, the tournament expanded from 32 teams to 48. The teams were divided into 12 groups of four, with the top two teams in each group and the eight best third-place teams advancing to a new round of 32.
From there, the winners advance until the final two meet for the World Cup on July 19 in East Rutherford, N.J.
The U.S. won its first two group games and has already qualified for the round of 32. They’ve never won three games in a World Cup before, but this year’s squad is ranked 14th in the world with high expectations on home soil.
Read more: It's (finally) OK to dream big about USMNT and World Cup
On this week’s Noon Edition, we’ll talk about how far the U.S. can go in the World Cup, how the tournament is inspiring America’s youth, Bloomington being a bastion of soccer, and if the sport will ever rise to the importance here that it has around the globe.
Join us on the air by calling 812-855-0812 or toll-free at 1-877-285-9348. You can also send questions for the show to news@indianapublicmedia.org.
You can also record your questions and send them in through email.
Guest
Louis Malone, Executive Director, Cutters Soccer
Andrew McFarland, Professor of History, IU Kokomo
Kelly Wherley, Building Manager at the IU Global and International Studies Building, local soccer fan
