Kas al-3alam

Today begins the month-long march to World Cup glory. Here they refer to the tournament that provides that glory as the "Kas al-3alam" (literally, "Cup of the World") or the "Mondial".

Unfortunately, Morocco did not make the tournament, but Moroccans will still be watching a number of games, particularly those of Spain, Portugal, Argentina, and Algeria. Spain because Moroccans' preferred soccer league is the Spanish one. Portugal because Real Madrid star Ronaldo is Portuguese. Argentina because Barcelona star Lionel Messi is Argentine. And Algeria because it's a neighbor and the only Arab team in the tournament. (Moroccans assure me the two nations really have a lot in common even if they have a closed border and have been in conflict for decades because of the Western Sahara question.)

Currently we have two couchsurfers here, one of whom is from Brazil. Like my roommate Daniel, he wants to watch all 64 games of the World Cup. When this came up in conversation, I told them that I would like to conduct my life in peace for the next month and not have it held hostage by a soccer schedule.

Daniel responded, "But you might miss THE GOAL of the tournament. And then how would you feel?"

I didn't respond. Honestly, I'm not sure that I would be that torn up about it.


The first match starts at 3 PM Moroccan time. If nothing else, I will be in a cafe watching South Africa and Mexico go at it. And then tomorrow night, I will resume my seat to watch the epic struggle between England and the United States. After that, I'm not making any promises.