Predicting the World Cup

Predicting the World Cup

The World Cup in Brazil is well underway, and probably everyone and his brother has an opinion on who will win the tournament. But pundits are now turning to some unlikely sources to predict who will come out on top. Different animals around the world are weighing in with their opinion on which teams will win – and which will get eliminated. Let's take a look at three making most of the (animal) noise! Regina the Octopus This German psychic mollusc is making ripples (quite literally) around the world. It has already predicted…Czytaj dalej …

Technology and the World Cup

The World Cup is well under way. And since here at English Matters there is nothing we like more than football and technology, we will take a look at some the cutting-edge technologies making headlines in Brazil. Goal-line technology Football is a great game, and people get very emotional about it. Billions of dollars are invested worldwide on making it as entertaining as possible. Ultimately what it boils down to is the number of goals scored. A new automated technology is now helping referees ascertaining exactly when the ball enters the goal area,…Czytaj dalej …
World Cup Fever

World Cup Fever

This June, we will be dedicating some time to the FIFA World Cup being held in Brazil. So expect a number of blog posts about the world's most popular sport this month. Let's kick off our series on the subject of football (or, as our US friends call it, soccer) with some interesting trivia about the world's most popular sport. There are an estimated 3.3-3.5 billion fans of football worldwide. Only seven countries have won the World Cup since it began in 1930: Brazil (a total of five times), Italy (four), Germany (three), Argentina and Uruguay (two each),…Czytaj dalej …