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In this football language post we look at some of the words and phrases that emerged from the 2022 World Cup qualification matches that have been taking place over the past few days. There is a transcript with this listening activity along with some vocabulary practice and you can also check out our football glossary and football cliches pages for hundreds more explanations of the language of soccer. If you have questions or comments about this or any other phrase then email us at: admin@languagecaster.com.
Football Language Podcast: 2022 World Cup Qualification Round Up (October 2021)
DF: Hello everyone, this is Damian from the Learning English Through Football team. I hope we are all doing well and that you enjoyed all the World Cup qualifying matches that were taking place over the past week. Now, on this football language podcast will look at some of the words and phrases that have emerged from the past week’s qualification process for the 2022 World Cup. There is of course a transcript to go with this podcast – it’s great for teaching and learning English – and if you have any questions or comments about any of the football language in this report then you can contact us here at: admin@languagecaster.com.
Stinger: You are listening to languagecaster.com (in Korean).
DF: OK, let’s take a look at how the 2022 World Cup qualification process is going and we’ll look at some of the good stories for some of the countries involved in matches from this week.
The Good
Let’s start by looking at the CONCACAF‘s octagonal qualification group where, of course, 8 teams are involved and it has started well for Mexico who have set the early pace (you can check this phrase on our forum by the way) . They are leading by three points from the USA and Canada but more importantly they are six clear of fourth place so look on course to qualify directly for the Qatar finals next year.
It’s been good too for both Germany and Denmark who became the first two sides to make it to the finals. The Germans were actually the first to do so but the Danes have won all 8 of their qualifying games scoring 27 times and they have yet to concede a goal. I wonder after their Euro 2020 semi-final performance whether they might be dark horses next year? It was also a good international break for two of the British sides: Wales and Scotland who now have play-off places in their sights, that’s in their own hands after wins in the Faroe Islands and Estonia.
OK, in the Asian qualifying section, the two groups are starting to take shape after all sides have now played four games. And it was a good week for Saudi Arabia who maintained their 100% record after defeating Japan, while the Japanese team then bounced back to defeat rivals Australia four days later in a must-win game for the Samurai Blue who are still in fourth position in their group – remember that only two teams qualify directly for the finals next year. In Group B, Iran and South Korea drew 1-1 and both look fairly sure of qualifying for Qatar 2022.
Stinger: You are listening to languagecaster.com (Brazilian fan).
In CONMEBOL, the South American qualifying section, the ‘big two’ Argentina and Brazil are still undefeated and look odds-on to qualify for the finals. But one of the other big stories in the qualifiers is about Chile’s forward Ben Brereton-Díaz who scored in wins over Paraguay and Venezuela to lift Chile into sixth place and are now only three points behind fourth-placed Colombia. The Blackburn forward has been a revelation since making his debut in the recent Copa America and if keeps scoring on the way to the finals then this could be a real ‘Roy of the (Blackburn) Rovers‘ story.
Now, in the African qualifying section, Morocco and Senegal have won all four of their qualifiers, that’s round two, and have made it through to the final round after their recent wins, while Tanzania and Mali remain top of their groups and are hoping to qualify for their first ever World Cup finals.
Stinger: You are listening to languagecaster.com (in Japanese).
DF: Thanks everyone for listening – we hope you enjoyed our look back at some of the words and phrases from the recent 2022 World Cup qualifiers. Drop us a line at admin@languagecaster.com or, of course, you can leave a comment in the section below the post here. And of course you can come along to our forum where you can ask or answer any questions you have on football language. Don’t forget there is also a transcript for this report and of course we have a huge glossary of football language here at languagecaster.com. OK, myself and Damon, who of course is in Tokyo, will be back soon with some more football language. Enjoy all the football this week – back to club and domestic football. See you soon. Bye bye.
Check out our glossary of footballing phrases here. If you have any suggestions, contact us at admin@languagecaster.com
Free football language podcast for learners of English brought to you by Damian and Damon. Interviews, match reviews, predictions all with full language support for football fans around the world who wish to improve their English language skills.
