Every four years, teams from across the globe unite for the four-week soccer tournament known as the FIFA World Cup, to compete for the national title that is associated with the tournament and their pride as a country. This year the World Cup is taking place in Qatar from November 20 until December 18, with the 32 teams that qualified for the final tournament. Prior to the set dates in Qatar, teams across the world compete in minor world competitions to move on to the final stages of the tournament. Once the tournament commences, there are a total of six stages that ultimately determine which team will be victorious and crowned as the world champion. 

This year, Gunnison High School (GHS) soccer coach Susan Powers put together a bracket competition open to all students, to guess on who will move on to the next stage of the tournament and ultimately who will come home with the trophy. In total, 21 students and faculty signed up to participate in the bracket tournament, and currently, the leaderboard stands with eighth grader Eli Coop in the lead followed by GHS volunteer soccer coach Jorge Rodrigez in second, and seventh grader Zavier Drendel in third. 

Sophomore soccer player Owen Powers stated, “My favorite part about the World Cup is that it is a rare time when the whole world comes together to do something, and I love soccer.” Apart from the Olympics, there isn’t really a time when countries from all over the world come to spectate and celebrate their home team, which is one of the most unique aspects of the World Cup. “I wanted Ecuador to win but unfortunately they lost, so now I am cheering for Argentina but I think that Brazil or France are most likely going to win,” Powers commented. On the other hand, Kuhns stated, “I want France to win though I think that Brazil will likely win.” Kuhns continued, “my favorite part about the World Cup is the upsets when the underdogs come out on top.” As of the quarter-finals, there have been some unexpected upsets with the favorite to win, Brazil losing to Croatia last Friday, December 9. The World Cup is currently in the semi-finals stage and will finish on December 18, 2022 and the winner of the bracket competition will be announced on January 3, 2023