The World Cup Dining Bracket

What’s really at steak for the biggest day in global sport

Paul Greenberg
3 min readDec 16, 2022

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“Boeuf Bourguignon 2022” by ZhengZhou licensed by CC BY-SA 4.0. Asado Photo Óscar Salgado on Unsplash

Technically it’s France vs. Argentina. But for those who’ve been following the World Cup closely (and by closely I mean from the bar stools of ethnic restaurants of whoever’s playing) the finals will be a battle of the beef as Bourguignon takes on Asado Sunday morning around breakfast time in New York.

Who could have predicted that the entire Tapas Peninsula would fall to Couscous?

In the unsettled group stage and round of 16, it was unclear who would have the upper hand. Wursts battled Empanadas in grueling contests that proved inconclusive (and filling). And of course there was surprise upon surprise. Who could have predicted that the entire Tapas Peninsula would fall to Couscous? Who could have foreseen that courageous Bi Bim Bop and noble Tempura would go so many courses deep before being dispatched with haste by the likes of Feijoada and Çevapi? But, in truth, in a tournament where staples like Pasta failed to even qualify, anything is possible.

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Paul Greenberg

New York Times bestselling author of Four Fish as well as The Climate Diet and Goodbye Phone, Hello World paulgreenberg.org