But what is that experience really like? Is it truly something to enjoy, or can the sheer volume of work in such a short time be overwhelming and dampen the enthusiasm? For those who work in the world of soccer every day and follow the national team throughout the long journey of the qualifiers, reaching the World Cup is, in any case, a once-in-a-lifetime moment.
Sports journalists Diego Muñoz—a professor of Television Journalism in theBachelor of Communication program at theSchool of Communication and Design at Universidad ORT Uruguay— and Diego Tabáres—an ORT graduate of the Sports Journalism Technician program, which was offered until a few years ago—share their experiences and discuss the importance of World Cup coverage in their profession.
DIEGO TABÁRES
He currently works out of Miami for GolTV and TNU.
World Cup to World Cup
“A sports journalist who specializes in soccer spends four years waiting for the World Cup to come around. You measure your life in World Cups.”
Study, study, and study
“To cover a World Cup, it’s essential to be prepared. For example, I tried to watch the teams playing against Uruguay at Russia 2018, because honestly, I didn’t know how Saudi Arabia played, and I’d seen very little of Egypt and Russia. I watched the last four full matches of each of Uruguay’s opponents to get an idea of how they play and what system they use. We all think we know that Mohamed Salah is Egypt’s best player, because we see him often at Liverpool, but we don’t know how he fits into his national team alongside his teammates.”
The Top 10
“To be fully prepared to cover a World Cup, you need to know the ins and outs of the 10 top teams. You can’t expect to know everything or have a complete grasp of every team, because there are 32 teams. Of course, it’s important to have a clear understanding of the schedule and the groups.”
Favorites
“Thinking about winning the World Cup seems like a pipe dream to me; I think the best we can hope for is to have a competitive team. After that, we’ll have to see how things play out and which matchups we end up with. I don’t think we’re even close to being the favorites to win the tournament. In my opinion, the favorites are France, Germany, Spain, and Brazil. If Lionel Messi steps up in Russia, he might just cause a stir.”
DIEGO MUÑOZ
He will travel to Russia to cover the World Cup for ESPN and will continue to contribute his column to the radio show *No Toquen Nada*.
World Cup Dream
“Covering a World Cup is the ultimate goal for any journalist specializing in soccer. Plus, covering it for a network like ESPN makes it even more meaningful to me personally.”
Sleep little, enjoy a lot
“Preparation, professionalism, knowledge, and dedication are the keys to covering a World Cup. You get little rest, travel a lot, and work almost all day. The important thing is to enjoy it and feel privileged to be able to experience it.”
Social media
“The first World Cup I covered was France 1998. I would record intro segments for matches that hadn’t been played yet, so I’d say that a certain team had won, tied, or lost. Then, back in Uruguay, they’d insert the intro that matched the actual result. Now I’ll be going with a camera and a backpack that will let me broadcast live 24 hours a day from anywhere in Russia. Add to that social media, which has changed the world and the way we communicate. We have to cover all fronts thoroughly.”
France 1998, the favorite
“France 1998 is unforgettable for me because it was the first World Cup I worked on, because I visited all the host cities, and because I saw the final. Brazil 2014 was also incredible because I was there for two iconic matches for the Uruguayan national team—the games against England and Italy. Those are two victories I’ll remember forever.”