JUNE | #Worldcup

The World Cup reigned supreme on Twitter between June and July, as football fans worldwide poured in their support for their favorite teams, sharing score predictions, match impressions, live reactions and moments of glory/despair under the #Worldcup hashtag. A majority of users anticipated the football fever by adding the flag of their country of choice to their username prior to the official start of the tournament. The opening ceremony was broadcasted live from Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium on June 14, and each of the matches went on to have its own hashtag, made up of the two countries’ initials, from then on. And while Twitter users were left underwhelmed by the performance of many top contenders like Germany and Argentina and star players including Neymar, Messi and Ronaldo, the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia witnessed an unprecedent ‘rise of the underdogs’ with teams like Sweden, Belgium and Croatia making it far at the expense of long-standing favorites. But it was the French who had the last word, taking home their second title following a historic final against Croatia.