World Cup fever: What exactly causes it?

It’s a phrase we’ve all heard, and a feeling we’ve all felt. From the time the World Cup begins to loom on the horizon, everyone starts to get a mild case of World Cup fever, which then builds up until the tournament gets underway at last.

Of course, it’s been a little different for Qatar 2022. The fact that the World Cup has taken place in the winter months, and in the middle of the domestic club season, has made for a slightly different feel to proceedings. However, that has not stopped World Cup fever from taking hold.

But what exactly is this unique footballing malady, and what causes it? Is it just a sense of anticipation for one of the world’s biggest sporting events, or is it defined by the individual characteristics that make a World Cup so unique? As the excitement continues in Qatar, and as fans analyse the World Cup odds, we’ve had a look at a few of the key things that contribute to World Cup fever.

The draw

For many, World Cup fever truly begins to set in when the draw gets underway, and we find out which teams will be going head-to-head in the group stage of the competition. It’s only then that the prospect of the World Cup starts to become real. After all, with four years between each edition of the tournament, it always feels like a long time coming.

Everyone is keen for an easy draw for their own team, while it’s always entertaining to see a few of the big teams drawn together early on in a so-called ‘Group of Death’.

The stadiums

Another thing that always gets football fans excited for the World Cup is the unveiling of all the brand spanking new stadiums that are completed in the lead-up to the tournament. These feats of human engineering take stadium design to another level, and most supporters end up dreaming of watching their national team walk out on the hallowed turf.

Many World Cups are remembered for the unique settings, as well as the footballing action that takes place on the pitch.

The kits

The fever really begins to build when teams begin to release their kits for the tournament. These are the shirts that will go down in history for whatever side goes on to win the World Cup, whilst some will become synonymous with failure if a team underperforms.

The 2018 World Cup featured some throwback kits to tournaments of the past, but 2022’s offering has been a sleeker, more modern affair.

The feast of football

Of course, the main thing that gets the juices flowing ahead of a World Cup is the prospect of having so much football to watch every day for a month. The fact that it is on free-to-air television makes those games feel all the more special, and most fans don’t want to miss a minute of the action, whether it’s the final itself or a group-stage match between two lowly-ranked nations.

There’s nothing quite like feasting on World Cup football, the only sad part is that it all seems to come to an end before we’re ready to say goodbye.