A (very) beginner’s guide to the World Cup: how does it work and the players to look out for

So, I hear there’s a World Cup starting this week … It is! Every four years the best men’s teams on the planet gather to see who will be crowned world champions. This year’s tournament will be co-hosted by frenemies Canada, Mexico and the United States in 16 cities as different as Vancouver, Kansas City and Guadalajara . The 48 teams are initially divided into [does arithmetic] 12 four-team groups with each team playing the others in the group once. …