The Women’s World Cup is happening this week!
Is your country’s team participating?
Football, or soccer, depending on where you’re from, is one of the rare universal topics of connection for anyone around the globe.
Most people enjoy playing or watching it.
If not, they know someone who does!
Today, find out how you can participate in these passionate conversations in English when it comes to the World Cup.
The Women’s World Cup
Aubrey and Lindsay are excited about the upcoming Women’s World Cup.
The games will start on July 20th.
They share that Jessica is a big soccer fan.
She also plays soccer and is super passionate about women’s soccer.
In the U.S., football is called soccer.
Soccer fans are very die-hard.
- die-hard: describing avid and passionate fans
This is why soccer is a great conversation starter.
The 2023 Women’s World Cup is potentially record-breaking because there might be a three-peat.
In today’s episode, listen in and pick up vocabulary that you can use to start a conversation about this.
Conversations about the World Cup
Aubrey shared that when she was younger she was in France for her honeymoon.
She and her husband went into a sports bar and the World Cup was happening.
Everyone was cheering and yelling.
It was an exhilarating experience.
Lindsay shared her own experience of witnessing Spain winning the World Cup.
She was in a sports bar in Madrid, Spain and everyone was so happy and in such high spirits.
It’s so fun to be a part of all the emotions and excitement around football.
It’s so much more than a game for people around the world.
It carries values and politics, and it can give pride to a nation when they win.
Families and friends bond over these events so it’s definitely a big deal.
Here are some vocabulary you can use to grab onto a conversation about this topic.
#1: Setting their sights
This is an interesting idiom.
This means you’re looking forward to something or you’re planning on something that is coming up.
You are starting to think about a particular thing that can be experienced in the near future.
Example:
This athlete is setting their sights on winning the World Cup.
#2: Favored to win
This is a phrase you can use to say someone is expected to win.
You would often hear this being used in competitions.
Example:
Who do you think is favored to win?
The top four teams that are favored to win are the U.S., England, Spain, and Germany.
#3: An underdog
This is used to refer to someone who wins and wasn’t expected to win.
Example:
I like to root for the underdog.
#4: Three-peat
This is what you call three wins in a row.
It’s a play on the words repeat and three.
Example:
The U.S. will complete a historic three-peat.
Conversation starters
Lindsay and Aubrey want to encourage you to start conversations around the World Cup.
Here are some questions and things you can say to get the ball rolling.
Plan on making connections using this topic!
- Are you going to watch the Women’s World Cup?
- Who do you want to win?
- What do you think about pay and equality in sports?
Flexible conversation starters
These are very flexible conversation starters.
You will be able to replace the “Women’s World Cup” with any other sporting event.
It’s also a good way to learn the point of view of the person you’re talking to.
It can be helpful to ask something, in general, to build awareness with someone who might not be aware of the event you’re talking about.
That said, you would still need to gauge the interest of the people you’re talking to.
You need to start the conversation with a topic that mostly everyone is interested in discussing.
Once you open the topic, if it doesn’t feel like they’re keen to talk about it, you can switch to something else and still use the phrases above.
Gender Inequality in Soccer
This is a big topic right now, especially the World Cup.
Why do we call the men’s division ‘the World Cup’ and the women’s division is ‘Women’s World Cup?’
It has also been raised for many years that women in sports are paid less than men despite the similarity in popularity.
This is especially glaring due to the superior performance of the women’s soccer team.
Despite their impressive record, they are paid less than the inferior men’s team.
Additionally, the fan base and exposure doesn’t match their performance.
Gender issues have been discussed in previous episodes of All Ears English.
There is a lot of inequality against women in sports and the world in general.
Takeaway
Always start a conversation with a topic that is interesting and lively.
Soccer is a widely known sport that most people know about.
Use the phrases and vocabulary mentioned in today’s episode and continue to build the connection.
Start some interesting and challenging dialogue that will not only improve your English language skills, but will also gain you good friends.
It’s fun to bond over sports and get to know people by exchanging ideas.
What is another topic that you think is widely known worldwide that can be a good conversation starter?
Share it in the comments below.
