From Hollywood to Home: Black Voices in Entertainment
- Visa issues hindered entries for players, coaches, and referees, creating a rocky start to the tournament.
- The FIFA World Cup unites the world for five weeks as global attention turns to the tournament.
- An estimated 2.1 billion viewers watched 2022; viewership is expected to grow with expansion to 48 teams.
- Interest has steadily risen over the last three World Cups as stars find crossover mass appeal among young fans.
- Lionel Messi's move to a United States-based club helps popularize soccer; the US Men's team showed major improvement with an impressive opening win.
- Future and Tyla’s chemistry shined during the World Cup opening ceremony performance.
- The US team’s 4-1 victory over Paraguay signals their potential to be a force in the tournament.
- Viewership for the World Cup is expected to increase with 48 teams competing this year.
The FIFA World Cup has descended upon the States, and the opening ceremony saw Future and Tyla collaborating for a performance spanning the African diaspora.
Their track “Game Time” has been used in promo for the international games for weeks leading up to the official kickoff, but the pair’s chemistry onstage was a must-see. Future stuck to his roots, rocking Atlanta Falcons colors during the performance, while Tyla rocked a blue and white star-spangled number of her own.
The South African beauty also rocked a gold and diamond-encrusted FIFA grill for the occasion. Cute! Though soccer isn’t as big here in the US as it is internationally, there has started to be a vested interest in the sport as more people from different cultures migrate to the States. Unfortunately, the current political climate made the games get off to a rocky start as players, coaches, and referees have run into visa issues while trying to enter the country.
Nonetheless, the games are always a time to commune together for five weeks as the entire world’s attention turns to the World Cup. The games remain the most-viewed sporting event in the world, with FIFA reporting that an estimated 2.1 billion viewers watched the 2022 matches in Qatar, despite criticism of the decision to host in the country.
Amid the tense political backdrop of the United States, FIFA believes the viewership for the World Cup will see an increase as 48 teams are set to compete this year, compared to 32 in 2022. Interest in the matches has seen a steady bump for the last three World Cup games, in fact, as stars of the sport continue to find crossover mass appeal among young fans. Lionel Messi, one of the sport’s most popular and recognizable athletes, now plays for a team based in the States; a major move to continue making soccer the world’s favorite pastime.
There has also been a major improvement in the US Men’s team as they were long considered among one of the worst —often missing the mark of competing in the games—while the women’s team notched numerous accolades, including gold medals at the Olympics. However, they pulled out an impressive 4-1 victory over the Paraguay team to kick off the World Cup on Jun. 12, seemingly putting the world on notice that they may be a squad to watch this go round.
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