Fluency News #14 – What’s the difference between soccer and football?

Hello everyone!

Welcome to another episode of Fluency News! Here, you’ll practice your listening and get informed on all that’s happening in the world; all the major headlines of the week, all in English! During the episode, we make sure to explain the things that we believe need extra attention, so you don’t miss any details!

In this episode we’ll talk about sports news! Cristiano Ronaldo becomes the first male player to score in 5 World Cups, Qatar’s history in soccer and Formula 1 launches an all-female championship.

We have an Instagram page with English tips, go check it out! @fluencytvenglish

We’ll have a new episode of Fluency News every week, don’t forget to listen! See you!

__

Episode Transcript

Hello, everyone! Welcome back to Fluency News! Our podcast series made to help you stay informed. I’m Chris Schliewe, your host, and I’m very excited to be here with you today! Stay with me until the end to get updated on all the hottest news while developing your English skills to feel more confident the next time you talk to a native speaker.

By the way, you know that Fluency Academy has one of the best English courses, with the best teachers on the internet, right? Me and the other teachers are ready to teach you real English, from real life, through day-to-day situations and practical examples. If you haven’t joined us yet, don’t waste any more time, click the link in the description of this episode to take your first step to fluency now!

Alright, so let’s start this episode with one of the most important sports events that is happening now in Qatar: The 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Cristiano Ronaldo made history as the first male player to score in five different World Cups during Portugal’s opening game in Qatar against Ghana. Portugal’s captain scored in the 65th minute from the penalty spot, marking the 118th goal for his country, and opening the score at Stadium 974 in Doha. He has now scored in every World Cup since his first in 2006, when he scored a penalty shot against Iran in the group stage.

Pretty amazing, huh? I guess that confirms once more that Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the greatest soccer players of all time. And talking about soccer… Do you know the difference between soccer and football?

Here in North America, we have our own game called football, referred to by the rest of the world as “American football”. And the game that the rest of the world knows and loves, as “football”, we actually call “soccer”! Since American football was first popular in North America and already popularly known as football, the game played in the World Cup needed a new name to distinguish it in the United States, so it was called soccer.

The main difference between soccer and football, then, is that the game played in the World Cup, the one played by Cristiano Ronaldo, is called “football” in British English and “soccer” in American English. That’s because in the US, “football” is American football.

Talking about the World Cup, did you know that Qatar’s history in soccer goes pretty far back? Their story begins in the streets and backyards of Doha’s Al Khulaifat district, where in the 1960s, the idea of a World Cup in the country would have seemed completely unimaginable. It all began with Ibrahim Khalfan, who would go on to become one of his country’s most famous players. The country did not have its own national team at the time, and when Khalfan was born in 1961, there was no national league either. If you’re interested in this story, you can read more about his career in the link here in the description. Besides getting to know an interesting story, you can also practice your reading skills!

Alright, you heard me saying that “Qatar’s history in soccer goes pretty far back” and that “their story begins…”. So, I want to explain to you the difference between “history” and “story” because these two words can be confusing. “History” is something from the past, it tells us about the events and incidents that took place years ago. History is generally based on facts and evidence, not on rumors. For example, World War II is considered a historical event because there is evidence to prove that it happened.

A “story” is the telling of a series of real or imagined events, often to entertain people. For example, “during World War II, people were attacked by a huge T-Rex”. Nope. That’s not true! That didn’t really happen, it’s just a story.

So, history is a record of the past based on real facts and evidence. And a story is an account of imaginary or real people and events told for entertainment, either based on fiction or real facts. Got it?

Now we’ll change the subject a little. Let’s talk about the fact that Formula 1 has launched an all-female series aimed at helping female drivers progress through the motorsport ranks. Cool, right? Named the F1 Academy, it will consist of five teams of three cars, contesting in seven events of three races each. The series will use the same cars that currently compete in Formula 4, an entry-level series for drivers taking their first steps in car racing.

That’s pretty cool, right? Now let’s go through some interesting vocabulary here. “Formula 1 has launched an all-female series”, in this sentence we have the verb “launch”. To launch something means to start an activity, to make something available for the first time. So, this means it’s the first time that Formula 1 opens an all-female series.

Now, this series will be an “entry-level series”, meaning it’s a starting point for a car racing career. So, it’s for beginners. This doesn’t mean that people can enter with zero experience in car racing, but being entry-level indicates that the person has some relevant experience with the sport, but is still new to the motorsport racing career.

And that’s it for today, guys! Are you already following us on our social media? At @fluencytvenglish, you can be in touch with English consistently in your every day routine, with English tips from the best teachers on the internet every day!

And don’t forget that there’s a new Fluency News episode every Monday. So, keep following us here to practice your listening skills and keep in touch with English. See ya!

___

Stories:

Cristiano Ronaldo becomes first male player to score in 5 World Cups

https://www.espn.com/soccer/portugal-por/story/4805137/cristiano-ronaldo-becomes-first-man-to-score-in-5-world-cups

Qatar’s history in football

https://www.bbc.com/sport/extra/2p2y7yptfv/into-qatar

Formula 1 launches all-female championship

https://www.bbc.com/sport/formula1/63675446