New World challenge on Old World turf.

• Author: Rodrigo, Alejandro
• Position: 1998 World Cup in soccer - Includes related article on Jamaica's soccer team - Cover Story

Forty years after its triumphant World Cup soccer victory on European soil, Brazil returns to the Old World to defend the title it reclaimed four years ago in the United States. In addition to the talented Brazilians, the Americas will dispatch teams from Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Jamaica, Mexico, Paraguay, and the United States to try to capture the FIFA (Federation of International Football Associations) World Cup, the most sought-after sports trophy on earth.

With a record number of thirty-two teams playing, the competition will open on June 10 in the colossal Stade du France, with a match between Brazil and Scotland, and will conclude in the same stadium on July 12 with the final match.

In the elimination phase, 170 nations competed in 643 matches in order to decide which 30 teams would qualify to play in France '98. France, as the host country, and Brazil, as the reigning world champion, are the only countries that did not have to qualify.

Meanwhile, France is awaiting the arrival of half a million tourists and ten thousand accredited journalists. The tournament's sixty-two matches will be held in ten cities and programmed so that all the teams will play their three first-round matches in different sites. Two-and-a-half million tickets will go on sale, and organizers are confidant that almost all the matches will be sold out. Seating capacity in the different stadiums averages 46,000, ranging from a minimum of 35,500 in Montpellier to 80,000 in the Stade du France.

The Stade du France was built in Saint-Denis, whose famous Gothic Basilica is the final resting place of the French monarchy and contains seventy royal crypts. Located only six miles north of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, the stadium is reputed to be the new wonder of the sports world. It is the largest Olympic stadium in the world and, thanks to its variable capacity, can accommodate any kind of show or sports event. Movable bleachers allow for seating an additional 25,000 spectators, for a possible total of 105,000.

The entire stadium was designed with the comfort of the fans in mind. It has elliptical-shaped seating sections that ensure clear views of the field, as well as easy access and covered seats. With trains and subways the backbone of the transportation system, the organizers heaved a collective sigh of relief when, after its grand opening, the Stade du France was emptied in six minutes.

The French are preparing a tremendous bash and make no secret of their desire to join the world soccer elite. The national team has competed in nine World Cups without having ever once reached the finals. The French team's best performances led it to third place in Sweden in 1958 and again in Mexico in 1986. But home-team advantage should come in quite handy this time around, and France is on almost everyone's short list of likely champions. Across the Channel, England won the World Cup in 1966, the same year it...