What can have the world glued to its television sets every four years? Soccer - the most popular sport in the world. It is not just a sport for many, it is a passion.
Every four years, the World Cup, soccer's premier tournament, is held - and the reaction to it can be startling.
In some countries, there is more interest in football than when people vote for a new government. The event is seen by more than two billion people worldwide. That means almost two-thirds of the world's population watches soccer.
The World Cup to many is an even bigger event than the Olympics in terms of the impact it makes.
This year's soccer final and the opening match will be held in the spectacular new Stade de France stadium in St Denis, near Paris. The stadium will be capable of seating 80,000 fans in four tiers of stands.
For the first time, 32 countries rather than 24 will contest the finals from a total of 172 countries.
The 1998 finals promise to be the biggest ever at the birthplace of FIFA (Federation Internationale de Football Association), an organisation founded in 1904 at the initiative of French journalist Robert Guerin.
