No matter where they live

or whom they cheered for,

people gathered around their screens,

No matter where they live

or whom they cheered for,

people gathered around their screens,

How We Watched the World Cup

I am not at the World Cup. I’m going to play the odds here and say that neither are you. Despite the fact that this is apparently the biggest World Cup of all time — more countries represented, more matches played, more fans paying more money for tickets than ever before — almost none of us have been at the World Cup, at least not physically. Like almost everyone who’s been watching (whether casually and fitfully, as in my case, since my country, Ireland, didn’t even qualify for the competition, or with the steadfast commitment and maniacal fervor of so many millions of dedicated spectators), I have been watching it on television.

The number of people who attend the World Cup, large and growing though........

© The New York Times