The beautiful game on Earth has perhaps just begun to generate energy and trigger excitement around the globe. That might sound like a strange expression for the ongoing football World Cup, but sometimes the truth can be painful. It is doubtful if at any other time in the history of the World Cup there has been such a touch of uncertainty, disappointment, and the like, as there was this time on the road to the opening of this magnificent spectacle in football. Strangely, it had nothing to do with the sport itself, but rather with factors like geopolitical tensions and strict vigilance on the part of one of the host countries, the USA. But then, the game had to go on, and ever since the ball started rolling with the inaugural match on June 11, the scene has been changing to the familiar cheers and swaying crowds in stadiums all over the three countries—Mexico and Canada being the other two hosts. That is the essence of this beautiful game, which can in time sweep away the ugly early settings to give the sport what is its due!

It was ironic that such a situation should have come about for this edition, which is the first in the World Cup series to feature an expanded field of 48 teams playing 104 matches in all. "More matches, the merrier" is one way of looking at it, but there are observers who believe too much can also be self-defeating, in the sense that there would be a big question mark........

© Mathrubhumi English