Tag: WCOH
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World Cup of Hate, Part 16: FINALE
This is it — years of research and writing have led to this exact article. We’re going to go from the final four competitors to one ultimate winner of the World Cup of Hate, determining the greatest rivalry in all of sports. Going into the tournament, if you asked people who they thought would win,…
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World Cup of Hate, Part 15: Eight Enemies
There’s now just a single-digit total of rivalries left in the World Cup of Hate and every one of them deserve to be here. These are the elite of the elite of the elite when it comes to hatred, controversy, excitement, fan support, and memorable moments on the soccer field. All of these rivalries have…
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World Cup of Hate, Part 14: The Salty 16
Calling this round of the World Cup of Hate the “Sweet 16” doesn’t sound right, though just “Round of 16” is kind of boring. “Sour 16”? Eh… “Salty 16”? Fuck it… ROUND OF 16 EL CLASICO (SPAIN) VS. DERBY DELLA CAPITALE (ITALY) LENGTH Barcelona and Real Madrid first played in 1902, while Roma didn’t even exist…
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World Cup of Hate, Part 13: Going Gangbusters in Groups
GROUP STAGE Over the previous dozen chapters, we’ve whittled down the hundreds of fantastic rivalries in the world down to the best of the best — the 32 (really 33) meticulously detailed, unforgettable hate-filled histories between 64 (really 66) clubs that make up the World Cup of Hate. Now, it’s time to cut that number…
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World Cup of Hate, Part 12.5: Can’t Catch a Break
Well, that took long enough, didn’t it? We finally have all 32 participants in the World Cup of Hate, having scoured the entire world for the best rivalries in all of soccer. Of course, while that claim can be made for the majority of these rivalries (and all 32 can at least claim to be…
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World Cup of Hate, Part 12: Three Classics, Two Spots, One Battle
OCEANIA (1) It only took a dozen chapters, but we’re finally reaching the end of our journey across the globe to fill out our roster for the World Cup of Hate. With 30 spots taken, we have just two more to award. The first of those final spots takes us to perhaps the least-recognized, least-appreciated, and…
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World Cup of Hate, Part 11: Brazilian Battles
Our journey through the world of soccer hatred has finally arrived at the spiritual home of soccer, the place many people think of first when they think of the sport — Brazil. No country has won more FIFA World Cups (five) than Brazil, which has produced a seemingly endless list of exceptional players, including Ronaldo,…
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World Cup of Hate, Part 10: A Matter of Hate and Death
SOUTH AMERICA (5) At long last, we have reached South America, arguably the spiritual home of soccer. Home of the first ever FIFA World Cup in 1930 (won by Uruguay) and the winningest country in World Cup history (Brazil), South America has birthed tremendous success and legends of not just soccer, but sport in general.…
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World Cup of Hate, Part 9: Asian Animosity
ASIA (4) As we prepare to cross the 3/4 mark on our global journey of soccer hatred, our quest to fill out the World Cup of Hate takes us to Asia, the largest and most populous continent in the world. But despite the robust population and general love of sport, soccer hasn’t historically been the focus…
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World Cup of Hate, Part 8.5: International Break
We’re back for another break in the action. Spoiler alert: we’re halfway through the World Cup of Hate (there will be a total of 16 parts, not counting these individual Top 10 lists). I know we’re not even through with picking every rivalry, but that lengthy context is needed before we get to the actual tournament. Now…
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