The most widely-viewed and followed sports event in the world began on Friday. For many Americans, it began silently. The World Cup far surpasses the Olympics and the Super Bowl in terms of viewership. The 2002 World Cup saw an estimated 28.8 billion people tune in to watch the tournament, with 1.1 billion viewers for the final match.

What makes this tournament different is the fact many of the qualifying rounds take place over the three year period leading up to the finals. The 32 teams that make it there are in what’s called the “Finals”. The Finals are held over a four-week period which accounts for the numbers in viewership.

In seventeen tournaments held thus far, only seven nations have won the World Cup. Brazil leads all nations with five, followed by Germany and Italy with three.

While football (soccer, to us Americans) doesn’t have the following here in the US as in other countries, the World Cup will draw it’s fare share of the US viewing audience. Which to me, makes it an instant success. Anytime we can be exposed to other cultures, whether it be via sports or not, it’s a great opportunity to be educated about other cultures. I hope the World Cup is both successful and highly viewed from the US market.