June 14, 2018, is the date soccer players around the world are anticipating. The world-wide tournament that comes up every four years brings a rush of euphoria whenever the commercials promoting the event began airing on T.V. This is the FIFA Men’s World Cup.

The best soccer players in the world are selected to represent their respective national team. Streets, cars, and restaurants are decorated with colors and flags that celebrate their nationality. Players from all over the world come together to do battle to determine who will become the next world champions. There is really no event like that that stirs the passion of nationalism for soccer-loving countries. like it.

And, perhaps, that passion runs no higher than in the two South American countries of Brazil and Argentina.

The 2014 Men’s World Cup was a roller coaster of emotions. Let us go back four years when the 2014 World Cup was the year German fans celebrated their team’s fourth World Cup championship, its first since 1990, with a 1-0 win over Argentina in the championship match. And, to get to that championship match, Germany trounced the host country of Brazil 7-1.

In two consecutive games, the Germans managed to break the hearts of Brazilians and Argentinians. Both of those South American countries are looking for redemption at the 2018 World Cup being hosted by Russia.

It will be interesting to see how low the television ratings for this World Cup will drop in the U.S. since the American team failed to qualify. The last time the U.S. failed to qualify was in 1986.

For the first time in history Egypt was able to qualify for the tournament, thanks to Mohamed Salah, a rising soccer start who blasted in a last-minute penalty shot against Congo in qualifying play. But will one rising star be able to hold his team and the weight of his whole country through to the World Cup final?

One thing is for certain, as is the case with every World Cup, there will be tears of joy and sorrow and shame as the best soccer players in the world put their all on the line in an attempt to bring glory for their countries.