When Americans think of football, they envision a pigskin on the field at an NFL game. But to everyone else, soccer is the first thing that comes to mind. And right now, the Union of European Football Association’s Champions League tournament is underway and currently has the world on a string.
With the biggest teams in the football world facing off in an elimination-style tournament entertaining the world, the only ones not enthusiastic about it are in the United States. Although many girls and boys play youth soccer, and some continue in high school and college, the USA has little interest not only in this league but for soccer in general.
Americans just don’t know much about the professional sport. So, to understand why so much of the world loves it. I will explain the process of the Tournament and how it works. I’ll explain the history of the league, how the tournament works, why it matters — and why you should care.
The tournament involves several European countries that each have their own leagues. England boasts the “Premier League” — highlighted in Apple TV’s popular “Ted Lasso” comedy-drama — which is often considered the toughest league in Europe since physicality and power are the main cornerstones of the game there. Second up is often debated but most consider it to be Spain’s “La Liga” which values technical skills and fluidity by playing through and to each other.
To qualify for the Champions League, individual league teams play in a point-based system throughout the year, and accumulating points. The team with the most points at season’s end qualifies for a position in the Champions League. Depending on the individual national league and its difficulty, there can also be one or more additional slots that can get you into the Champions League playoffs. which is a build up to the round of 16. The tournament is elimination based and has two legs: Two 90-minute games which carry the scores from both legs into an aggregate point system. For example, if one team scores a goal making it 1-0 that is carried over to the next game and this process goes all the way to the final, a single-leg event hosted by a different historic stadium from anywhere around Europe. This year’s final will be played May 31at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany.
The tournament was created in 1955 in France, and was originally named European Champions Clubs Cup, adopting its current name in 1992 — during the time in which multiple new European countries were added.
The tournament is historic not only because it is 70 years old but because of the affect it has on the Europeans: it brings them together in spirit over sport. The UEFA’s Champions League tournament, and soccer/football as a whole has so much potential to connect Americans by creating a new sporting community. Having a tournament to look forward to where you cheer on your local or favorite team from anywhere in the world is an unparalleled feeling. If you’d like to experience the fun and camaraderie, tournament games are available on platforms such as Hulu and Paramount.
So, the question is: Will you be tuning in? Because the rest of the world is.
