So, I hear there’s a World Cup starting this week …
It is! Every four years the best men’s teams on the planet gather to see who will be crowned world champions. This year’s tournament will be co-hosted by frenemies Canada, Mexico and the United States in 16 cities as different as Vancouver, Kansas City and Guadalajara. The 48 teams are initially divided into [does arithmetic] 12 four-team groups with each team playing the others in the group once. The top two from each group, along with the eight best third-placed teams – 32 in total – will advance to the knockout stages. Matches from that point on are single-elimination - lose and you’re out. If scores are level at the end of extra-time, the match is decided by a penalty shootout.
