The game of soccer is played worldwide. It does not matter what country you live in, how much money you have, or how skilled you are, young and old around the world take part in the excitement and beauty of the game, regardless of their cultural background. It is no secret that the game of soccer is the most widely played sport on the planet. The FIFA World Cup is the greatest sporting event in the world because it is the only event that includes the entire world, giving every country a chance to participate.

Over the course of three years, 208 nations battle it out in the Preliminary Competition to claim one of the 31 spots for the Final Competition to determine a true world champion. According to FIFA, “The preliminary competition for the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™ sees a total of 204 entries across six continents competing for 31 available spots. For the last FIFA World Cup, 200 teams played a total of 853 matches as 31 teams qualified for South Africa.”

Sure, the Super Bowl, World Series, and Stanley Cup are all part of great American tradition, but ask a number of people in any other part of the world if they know what those are and they will look at you with blank faces. Americans cannot deny that The FIFA World Cup surely stands out among all other sporting events. You don’t have to be a soccer fan to admit that you are mildly interested in seeing how this summer pans out. Who will win? How far will the U.S. get?

Brazil will host this years FIFA World Cup in 12 different cities around the country. Fans around the world will watch the best of the best compete against each other in hopes of advancing one more round.

The FIFA World Cup brings unity (and added competition) among languages, economic situations, politics and history to provide hope, thrill, heat and passion to people from every corner of the planet. This frenzy is something that needs to be experienced, whether or not you are a soccer fan. An estimated 700 million people watched the final match in 2010 held in South Africa. It was broadcast to 204 countries on 245 different channels, and an average of 49,670 spectators attended 64 matches. 16 sites across the world held public viewing events in which over six million people attended to cheer on and be part of the experience. Thus, the FIFA World Cup is the greatest sporting event in the world.