7 Things We’re Loving About The World Cup

1. We Haven't Been This Close To Winning In 28 Years

As we all know, England sailed through to the semi-finals at the weekend after scoring two-nil against Sweden. Whether the boys go all the way remains to be seen, but if we did win the World Cup, it would be the first time in 52 years that we’ll have raised that trophy – England haven't made it through to the semi-finals since 1990.

Harry Kane, captain for the England team this year, said after the match that he hopes their win will inspire a generation. “As a player and as a professional I know that I have a job, on and off the pitch, to inspire people and inspire kids watching this tournament,” he told reporters. “It's amazing because I was one of those kids growing up who wanted to play for England. So to be here now, leading this team out, I'm so proud.”

2. The Players Are Keeping It Classy

Our players have been perfect gentlemen this year. During their match against Columbia, six members of the opposing team were shown yellow cards, and Wilmar Barrios was lucky not to see a red card for headbutting Jordan Henderson. But England kept their cool – there wasn’t a Zidane headbutt or David Beckham trip-up in sight. “We didn’t rise to it in general, which was brilliant,” England manager, Gareth Southgate, after the game. “We kept our composure in a really difficult environment. There were many, many fouls in the game and I do not think we committed anywhere near the number they did.”

And the players aren’t the only ones who have kept it classy – the girlfriends of the players have been a bunch to look up to as well. As 2018 is officially the year of girl power, the group have dropped their ‘WAG’ status, and have shunned partying like the wives and girlfriends of yore (namely 2006), instead favouring ‘girl squad’ dinners. In fact, Rebekah Vardy – wife of England striker Jamie Vardy – has even been home-schooling her children whilst supporting her husband in Russia.

3. The Fans Have Been Surprisingly Civil

Bar a foolish few, the camaraderie during 2018’s World Cup has been something special. Videos from around the country from Saturday’s match has shown a nation gone football crazy in the best way. Beer was thrown, hugs were given, songs were sung (anyone tired of hearing 'Three Lions' yet?) And, with this being 2018, there has, of course, been a whole host of great fan memes crashing through the internet. From Harry Maguire’s ‘mansplaining’ pic to Neymar’s endless roll, Dele Alli’s Fortnite celebratory dance to Gareth Southgate’s waistcoat, fans are delivering. It really doesn’t get more 2018 than that.

And despite the world's worries of hooliganism at this year's venue, we've all been rather pleasantly surprised. Fear of violence rule most football tournaments, particularly after England Euro 2016 campaign was marred by violence in Marseille. But luckily, those fears have thus far been unfounded. British police have said that, although a few English fans are facing bans from future matches for fighting with each other, they have so far reported a “good atmosphere” between the British and supporters of rival nations.