An annual football festival that seeks to build Taiwan’s ties with the global community kicked off in New Taipei on Saturday, as 18 teams from 12 different countries bid to be crowned champions of this year’s event.
Held for the ninth year, the two-day World Cup Taiwan 2022 consists of six women’s teams and 12 men’s teams made up of students and expats from Honduras, Guatemala, Belize, Haiti, Spain, Eswatini, Nicaragua, Paraguay, the United States, Italy, and Saint Lucia along with a team from Taiwan.
At the festival’s opening ceremony at Fu Jen Catholic University Stadium, Haiti’s ambassador to Taiwan, Roudy Stanley Penn, said he was particularly honored to participate in the official launch of World Cup Taiwan this year.
“The embassy (Haiti) is especially proud to be the host for the realization of this edition, which like every year invites Taiwanese and foreigners to discover the fascinating world of football and the gastronomic culture of different cultures,” Penn said.
For the 2022 festival, the men’s competition is divided into four groups of three teams each, while the women’s draw consists of two groups of three teams each.
The matches are 20 minutes per half for the men and 10 minutes per half for the women.
Each men’s team plays one match against each of their group rivals, and the best two teams in each group will advance to the quarterfinals.
Taiwan drew the teams representing Guatemala and Italy in the men’s tournament.
The men’s opening game in the morning kicked off with the United States beating Eswatini 2-1, while Taiwan and Italy drew 0-0.
Taiwan’s women fared better, topping Honduras 2-0.
There are also plenty of food stands at the site offering specialties from Italy, Peru, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, Germany, Mexico, Turkey and Belize.
The World Cup Taiwan 2022 is jointly organized by the Taiwan Digital Diplomacy Association and the Taiwan Football Development Association (TFDA), in collaboration with Fernando Ramos, a Taiwanese advocate, journalist and lawyer.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel