ITS A WORLD CUP YEAR!(the cup is held every four years). In honor of this year’s cup, my project will focus on the other international soccer tournaments that are not quite as prestigious.
There is something special about representing your country on the international scene. Only the very best players from each country get to experience that moment when you stand on the touchline, arm across your chest as your country’s national anthem fills your heart with pride.
You don’t need to be a soccer fan to know about the world cup, the biggest international soccer tournament in the world – Everyone loves the World Cup! But, have you ever heard of any of the regional tournaments? The African Cup of Nations! The Euros! Copa America!
The objective of my final project will be to explore and analyze sentiment about several major international soccer tournaments from the perspective of US spectators. As we explore these attitudes, we will gain some insight into why spectators feel the way they do about the tournament, the matches and participating teams. We will have a unique opportunity to explore some of the most debated and interesting questions about international soccer.
Which country has the most passionate fans or draws the most intense emotions from supporters? We will Identify the region of the world that has the most support from US viewership. Identify the countries and regions of the international soccer world that US spectators care the most and least about and explore why.
Ultimately, We will begin to answer the age old question of why Soccer is not as popular as basketball, baseball or football among American fans.
The governing body of soccer is called FIFA [Fédération Internationale de Football Association]. FIFA is comprised of six member Associations which represent different regions of the world. Each Confederation hosts a tournament open only to the countries that belong to that region/confederation.
CONCACAF (Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association) - Hosts The Gold Cup every 2 years. The last tournament was in 2021 Participants: USA, Jamaica, Mexico, Canada, Honduras, Grenada, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Martinique, Suriname, Panama, Qatar (via special invite) , Trinidad, Haiti, Guadeloupe, Guatemala
CAF (Confédération Africaine de Football) Hosts The African Cup of Nations every 2 years. The last tournament concluded earlier this month (Feb 2022) with Senegal taking home the trophy.
Participants: Cameroon, Senegal, Algeria, Mali, Tunisia, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Comoros, Gabon, Gambia, Egypt, Ghana, Equatorial guinea, Zimbabwe, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Nigeria, Sudan, Malawi, Ethiopia, Mauritania, Guinea-Bissau, Cape Verde, Sierra Leone
UEFA (Union des associations européennes de football) - Hosts The Euros every 2 years. The last tournament was Euro 2020 but took place in 2021 due to the pandemic. Participants: Belgium, Italy, Russia, Poland, Ukraine, Spain, France, Turkey, England, Czech Republic, Finland, Sweden, Croatia, Austria, Netherlands, Germany, Portugal, Switzerland, Denmark, Wales, North Macedonia, Hungary, Slovakia, Scotland
CONMEBOL (Confederación Sudamericana de Fútbol) - Hosts The Copa America. The tournament does not follow a consistent schedule like the others, it occurs every 1 - 4 years. The latest tournament was in 2021. Participants: Uruguay, Paraguay, Chile, Bolivia, Argentina, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela, Ecuador, Colombia, Brazil
AFC (Asian Football Confederation) - Hosts The Asian cup every 4 years, the latest tournament was in 2019. Participants: Japan, South Korea, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, Australia, Uzbekistan, Iran, Iraq, Syria, China PR, Palestine, Oman, India, Lebanon, Turkmenistan, Jordan, Bahrain, Vietnam, Kyrgyzstan, North Korea, Philippines, Yemen
OFC (Oceania Football Confederation) - Hosts The OFC Nations Cup every 4 years, the latest tournament was supposed to take place in 2020 but was cancelled due to the pandemic. The next tournament will take place in 2024. Represents Countries such as New Zealand, Fiji, American Samoa Participants: Fiji, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tahiti, Vanuatu, Samoa