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This summer, its up to you.
Germany The Defending ChampsGroup FChance of winning:17.4 percent
Why you should root for them:Blitzkrieg!
To get a more balanced take, I spoke to my friend Andy, a high-school German teacher.
To Andy, it all comes down to training and focus.
Ultimately, says Andy, you should root for Germany because theyre a team.
Its not just a Messi or a Ronaldo [doing everything].
And well, they dive, but everyone does.
But the team thing is real.
Oh, and one last thing: Theyre in a relatively easy group.
In conclusion, root for Germany because they are very good, and are probably going to win.
And they might play the most exciting brand of soccer in the tournament.
Its like samba football, says Tarek Pertew, co-founder of the adult soccer leagueNYC Footy.
Dance is in the blood of Brazil, right?
Every single Brazilian knows how to dance samba.
Its in their genes.
(His wife is Brazilian, so hes allowed to say stuff like this.)
All are under 27.
If you like ball movement, well baby, nobody passes more than Spain.
Theyre like tiny little ninjas, Bennett says.
They never let their opponents touch the ball.
They paper-cut everyone to death.
It really is like an all-star team, when you look at the roster, says Bennett.
What they dont have is an idea of how to utilize all of that in the collective.
But if you choose to root for Les Bleus,il faut se mefier.
We always laugh about France and say theyre doing it for the gram, he says.
From a footballing perspective, they were just muddling middle landers with incredible mustaches.
They probably had more mustaches per player than any other football team, and that was their greatest asset.
The good news: Theyll probably score a lot of goals.
The bad news: Like France, they havent really played together before.
If he gets it right, they should be going to the promised land that theyve all dreamt of.
As far as I can tell, this is what its like rooting for England in the World Cup.
(You may have heard about it.)
Hes like a bottle of Drakkar Noir come to life.
I admire that greatly.
What a preening show pony that gentleman is, but he backs it up with superlative play.
If you also feel this way about Cristiano Ronaldo, go ahead and root for Portugal.
Messi is everything Ronaldo is not: single-minded, focused, and wholly unglamorous.
(As Bennett puts it, He looks like he works at Blockbuster Video.)
Its also why the team has traditionally built its reputation on stout defense.
When you play national teams that are very powerful, its difficult.
But back to the biting.
Zanatta cant explain it, either.
To me, its not a play that is dirty.
If you really want to hurt somebody, you elbow them in the face.
Its more like a desperate call for attention that I dont quite understand.
Its easy to see the appeal: As my good friendW.M.
Its like a small town cheering on their high-school football team except theyre playing in the World Cup.
But the way they play may also strike the hearts of neutral fans.
They have a very optimistic style.
They go forward and they attack, says Akers.
Thats really all you want in an international team.
If youre here for the fashion, the Super Eagles havethe best uniforms in the tournament.
Theyre like second cousins at a bar mitzvah, says Bennett.
Theyre just happy to have been invited.
She promptly gave me three very good reasons to support the Danes.
2: They are exciting.
3: Great values.
We have the quirkiest fans in the world, she says.
They dress up like really bad-looking Vikings, but they are not hooligans.
Theyve even come up with a name, which is roligans.
Its a play on the word rolig, which in Danish meanscalm.
So support the Danes, or dont either way, you wont have to worry about getting beaten up.
Theyre an easy team to get emotionally attached to because of how they celebrate their goals, he says.
Theyre very intense defensively, but once theyre on offense theyre very relaxed.
They have a bit of swagger about their style.
you’re able to see how happy they are on and off the field.
Theyre always dancing in the locker room and dancing when they score.
How would they counteract Messi?
Says Agudelo: Kick the crap out of him and hope you dont get a red card.
She stans for Mexico so hard that she even has a pin on her sweater supportingEl Tri.
They play a very similar style of soccer to the U.S. team, she says.
(Though she admits in Mexico, that comparison would be considered offensive.)
But there are plenty of other reasons to support this Adriatic nation.
Take the uniforms, which look like the tables atyour hometown pizza placebut are actually a nod tomedieval heraldry.
Theyre almost too cool to care, he says.
Egypt The One-Man AttackGroup AChance of winning:0.5 percentWhy you should root for them:First, the good news.
Its tough to stop him when hes dribbling at full speed, says Pertew.
In Costa Rica, we love gringos, he said.
We have very positive attitudes towards Americans, especially compared with other countries in Latin America.
(Did you know that just as many Americans live in Costa Rica as Costa Ricans live in America?
Madrigal was also keen to assure me that American soccer had a bright future on the international stage.
We were very disappointed when United States didnt qualify.
We were expecting them to qualify instead of Panama, he said.
Costa Rica a very supportive friend!
(The rumor is that he didnt play the teams star players enough.)
Anyone whos ever been handed a gigantic work project with zero time to prepare can surely empathize.
2: The coach is a genius.
Hes basing it all on common sense.
He hasnt created new tactics.
Hes playing the best football possible with the resources he has at hand.
For his final reason, Pagrotsky strikes a philosophical note.
Everything in football should not be about money and stars.
Its the unpredictability that makes this sport fascinating.
If it werent, then who would watch?
Anyway, if you need a reason to root for Australia, theyflop a lot lessthan other teams.)
Theres a conscious or subconscious connection.
TheOrlovihave a history of playing great teams incredibly tough, but also sinking down to the level of competition.
(In the 2010 World Cup, they beat Germany but lost to Ghana and Australia.)
We have a very competitive approach to anything we do Why ishebetter thanme?
This year, that may prove a blessing.
Every time we have high expectations, we dont play good, says Kozlina.
Were excited to be in Russia, but we dont expect much.
Furthermore, LGBT fans attending the tournament have beencautionednot to publicly display their sexuality.
Oh, and the team itself is nothing special.
I assure you, triggering the libs is not worth it here.
Poland There is no example, no inspiration.
Supporters of Poland have turned such suffering to an art form.
They seem to be even more aware of their own ultimate demise than even English fans, Bennett says.
The first game is always called the opening game in which everything is possible.
If you prefer the latter, might I suggest rooting for the Iranian national team?
The Lions of Teranga wound up winning the rematch 2-0, which sent them on to Russia.
Cheer for them if you too could use a do-over.
Its been a roller-coaster ride ever since.
Support them if you too have been trapped in a bureaucratic spiderweb.
Tunisia ranked thebest team in Africaby FIFA.
But the best reason to root for Tunisia wasnt on the sheet.
Since its Ramadan, the team has been playing its pre-Cup friendlies while fasting.
And thats basically all it’s crucial that you know!
If so, going hard for Saudi Arabia may be just the boost your career needs!
BesidesSon, theyve also gotLee Seung-woo,Jung Seung-hyun, andKim Shin-wook hotties all around.
Thats as good a reason to cheer for them as any.
ExpectTim Allen, John Travolta, Martin Lawrence, and William H. Macyto play them in the movie.
