World Cup Hype Train Anyone?

It's less than two weeks until the biggest event in soccer takes over Brazil and I for one can't wait for it all to get started. So, who else is excited for the World Cup, who are you rooting for (I'll be optimistically cheering on merry old England) and who do you think will win that big shiny golden trophy?

Pretty excited, plan to watch as much World Cup as I can. Rooting for Argentina as always, all my family is from there. Canada doesn't exist in Soccer.

Who do I think will win? Argentina will always have a shot with Messi, but after the last World Cup where they had Maradona coaching, and the last Olympics where they didn't even qualify to get into(despite winning the previous two Olympics!) I think my expectations are to face palm. Aside from them, Brazil or Spain.

I'm of course cheering for the good ol' US of A, and though I think this is one of our strongest teams ever, making it out of group is going to be tough sledding. Corrupt-ass FIFA boned us with a ridiculous group. (No, I don't think it's a coincidence that we got put in a group featuring the team that's knocked us out of of the past two WCs and two of the top three teams in the world.) Enough on that, though.

I'm really excited for the WC, though. Spain vs. Netherlands, England vs. Italy, Germany vs. Portugal, and U.S. vs. Ghana will all be great games early on. If the US goes out, I'll start pulling for England, then probably the Netherlands because they're just fun to watch. I've also got a bit of a soft spot for Spain and Italy. I hope Mexico and Portugal lose early because Mexican fans are awful and Cristiano Ronaldo, while talented, is really hateable. Other than that, I'll just be appreciating it and hoping for good games.

I just had a 50" tv put in my office and hooked up satellite to it so I can watch as many games as I can while I work. So pumped.

Yeah, I'll probably be watching it. Rooting mainly for the underdog nations like Belgium, USA, Australia. MAYBE for Germany, but only if less than half of the team consists of fucking Bayern Munich players and some Dortmund guys actually get a serious chance to play.

As for the winner, I'd rather guess Argentina or Spain than Brazil, just being the home team isn't enough and it might actually be a disadvantage with all the protests going on there.

I love that is the only topic of discussion in this games forum. And its not even about the game.

im going to try to understand what all the fuss is about this year. hopfully its a good year to convince me.

Yup, always watch FIFA and UEFA.

Been rooting for Spain since they played in that UEFA that started their streak (2008). I just enjoy watching them play so they're still my favourite team. Adding this tournament to their streak of wins would be crazy, but I can still see it happening. They're just a lot more skilled with the ball.

So motherfucking hyped. It's hard not to get caught up in the excitement of it all, even if you don't like soccer. Gonna be rooting for Japan because I like them too much and Keisuke Honda was a fucking beast in 2010 and Belgium because they have some fantastic players (Hazard, Lukaku, etc.). ALL ABOARD THE HYPE TRAIN! ^O^

Oh jeez it's coming up way sooner than I realised. Hell yeah I'm hyped!

Will be rooting for England, but I always try to pick out and have a bet on a dark horse team. It's Belgium this time around. Not to win it mind, just to do better than anyone expected.

I'm living in Buenos Aires Argentina so I'll probably watch a few games since the people here are crazy for futbol, but I'm from Vancouver so not lot of interest in soccer lol. I'm paying more attention the the hockey playoffs right now, although they'll be over soon.

@aegon: It's weird to hear someone call the European Championships as the "UEFA" but do as you please.

As a delightfully jaded football fan, I always look forward to the World Cup. Especially when I got nothing else going on. With the 32 teams, there can be a fair amount of filler (here's looking at you Honduras) but I look forward to seeingsome hot business. As an Irishman, I of course have no horse in the race (apart from delighting in England's failure). I'm looking for Joachim Low's Germany to actually win something and Belgium to prove all their hype. And I am hoping for a big bust-up in a couple of team camps. Here's hoping for the Netherlands to explode in "controversy".