Japan national football teamThe Japan national football team, nicknamed the Samurai Blue, represents Japan in men's international football. It is controlled by the Japan Football Association (JFA), the governing body for football in Japan. Japan was not a major football force until the end of the 1980s, with a small and amateur team. For a long time in Japan, football was a less popular sport than baseball and sumo.
CONCACAFThe Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football, abbreviated as CONCACAF (ˈkɒŋkəkæf ; typeset for branding purposes since 2018 as Concacaf), is one of FIFA's six continental governing bodies for association football. Its 41 member associations represent countries and territories mainly in North America, including the Caribbean and Central America, and, for geopolitical reasons, three nations from the Guianas subregion of South America—Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana (an overseas region of France).
Argentina national football teamThe Argentina national football team (Selección de fútbol de Argentina) represents Argentina in men's international football and is administered by the Argentine Football Association, the governing body for football in Argentina. Nicknamed La Albiceleste ('The White and Sky Blue'), they are the reigning world champions, having won the most recent World Cup in 2022, earning their third star shown by the team's crest. Overall, Argentina has appeared in a World Cup final six times; a record equalled by Italy and surpassed only by Brazil and Germany.
FIFA World Cup hostsEighteen countries have been FIFA World Cup hosts in the competition's twenty-one tournaments since the inaugural World Cup in 1930. The organization at first awarded hosting to countries at meetings of FIFA's congress. The choice of location was controversial in the earliest tournaments, given the three-week boat journey between South America and Europe, the two centers of strength in football at the time. The decision to hold the first cup in Uruguay, for example, led to only four European nations competing.
Spain national football teamThe Spain national football team (Selección Española de Fútbol) has represented Spain in international men's football competitions since 1920. It is governed by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. Spain is one of eight national teams to have been crowned world champions and have participated in a total of 16 of 22 FIFA World Cups, also qualifying consistently since 1978. Spain have won three continental titles during their appearances of 11 out of 16 UEFA European Championships.
Germany national football teamThe Germany national football team (Deutsche Fußballnationalmannschaft) represents Germany in men's international football and played its first match in 1908. The team is governed by the German Football Association (Deutscher Fußball-Bund), founded in 1900. Between 1949 and 1990, separate German national teams were recognised by FIFA due to Allied occupation and division: the DFB's team representing the Federal Republic of Germany (commonly referred to as West Germany in English between 1949 and 1990), the Saarland team representing the Saar Protectorate (1950–1956) and the East Germany team representing the German Democratic Republic (1952–1990).
Moscow OblastMoscow Oblast (Moskovskaya oblast', mɐˈskofskəjə ˈobləsjtj), also known as Podmoskovye (Подмоско́вье, pədmɐˈskovjjə), is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). With a population of 8,524,665 (2021 Census) living in an area of , it is one of the most densely populated regions in the country and is the second most populous federal subject. The oblast has no official administrative center; its public authorities are located in Moscow and Krasnogorsk (the Moscow Oblast Duma and the local government), and also across other locations in the oblast.
Colombia national football teamThe Colombia national football team (Selección de fútbol de Colombia) represents Colombia in men's international football and is managed by the Colombian Football Federation, the governing body for football in Colombia. They are a member of CONMEBOL and are currently ranked 17th in the FIFA World Rankings. The team are nicknamed Los Cafeteros due to the coffee production in their country. Notably, the national team has been a symbol of nationalism, pride, and passion for many Colombians worldwide.
FIFAThe Fédération Internationale de football association; abbreviated as FIFA and pronounced in English as ˈfiːfə) is the international governing body of association football, beach soccer, and futsal. It was founded in 1904 to oversee international competition among the national associations of Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. Headquartered in Zürich, Switzerland, its membership now comprises 211 national associations.
Culture of RussiaRussian culture () has been formed by the nation's history, its geographical location and its vast expanse, religious and social traditions, and both Eastern and Western influence. Russian writers and philosophers have played an important role in the development of European thought. The Russians have also greatly influenced classical music, ballet, sport, painting, and cinema. The nation has also made pioneering contributions to science and technology and space exploration.
