World Cup Fever

The front page of Cape Town’s daily newspaper today contained only photos and a simple headline: “It’s Here.” The “It,” of course, is the 2010 World Cup of Soccer. After six years of planning, preparation and anticipation, the big party has begun at 10 venues across South Africa. The opening match, played at Soccer City outside Johannesburg, saw the host country’s Bafana Bafana – a considerable underdog, ranked 66 places lower than its opponent, Mexico – battle to a 1-1 draw.

Cape Town is buzzing with excitement, as I’m sure the other host cities are as well. Businesses closed early today. People of all ages wore their Bafana Bafana jerseys. Even as I write this, at 10 p.m., I can hear vuvuzelas being blown in the neighborhood. This simple plastic horn can quickly wear on a person’s nerves. But that's actually it’s purpose when South African fans use them to distract the opposing team. At the Mexico-RSA match today, 94,000 were in attendance and the majority had vuvuzelas. I have to think the collective noise – like a giant swarm of bees – had an adverse effect on the Mexican team.

If the first day was any indication, it’s going to be an exciting four weeks, even for non-soccer fans like me. Watching South Africa’s match, I found myself pulling hard for the local favorites. And I’ll be cheering on my home country when the USA faces off against England tomorrow night. I’ll be watching with my fellow Living Hope volunteers, a group that has swelled to nearly two-dozen of late, and all from either the U.S. or the U.K. Regardless of who wins, this much is certain: A lot of gloating is going to take place when it’s over.