By Jocelyn Chui
Northwest Asian Weekly
Do you have your TV tuned to the 19th FIFA World Cup? Taking place in South Africa, it officially began on June 11 and will conclude on July 11. This is the first time that an African nation has hosted the tournament.
But there’s another reason to celebrate. The good news is that the national soccer teams of Japan, South Korea, and North Korea have successfully made their way to the final tournament.
A total of 32 qualified teams have been divided into eight groups with four teams in each group. In the coming two weeks, each team will play against the other teams in their respective groups. If a team wins, they will earn three points. If the two teams tie, both of them will earn one point. No points are awarded or deducted if a team loses. The two teams with the most points in each group will enter the round of 16, which will begin on June 26.
Each week, I’ll be updating you on the status of notable teams. But to start, let me introduce you to the ones that we’ll be watching.
Japan
Group E (against Netherlands, Denmark, and Cameroon)
Home color: blue and white
Away color: white and blue
Number of World Cup appearances: 4 (The first was in 1998)
Best result: Round of 16, 2002
Upcoming game: vs. Netherlands, 4 a.m. PT, June 19
Korea Republic (South Korea)
Group B (against Argentina, Nigeria, and Greece)
Home color: red and white
Away color: white and blue
Appearances in World Cup: 7 (The first was in 1954)
Best Result: Fourth place, 2002
Upcoming games: vs. Argentina, 4 a.m. PT, June 17
vs. Nigeria, 11 a.m. PT, June 22
Korea DPR (North Korea)
Group G (against Brazil, Cote d’lvoire, and Portugal)
Home color: all red
Away color: all white
Appearances in World Cup: 2 (The first was in 1966)
Best Result: Quarterfinals, 1966
Upcoming games: vs. Portugal, 4 a.m. PT, June 21st
What do you think? Will an Asian team emerge as the top team? Only time will tell. See you next week for the outcome of the games! ♦
Jocelyn Chui can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.
Did anybody happen to see Arlen Robben in the match with Netherlands vs. Slovakia? Impressive!