While many Americans think of the Super Bowl, World Series or College Football Playoff as the top sporting events on the calendar, the actual biggest sporting event in the world kicks off today with billions of people around the world set to tune in on television or watch in person.

Yes, the World Cup is upon us once again. The global soccer event brings the 32 best soccer-playing countries together every four years in a monthlong tournament to determine which country reigns supreme.

It really is the Olympics of soccer, and many parts of the world stands still during the duration of the tournament. This year’s event, hosted by Russia, begins with the opening game between the host country and Saudi Arabia.

The tournament begins in earnest Friday with three games, including the featured clash between tournament favorite Spain and Portugal, which boasts the best player in the world in Cristiano Ronaldo.

Unfortunately for us soccer fans in the United States, the U.S. team failed to qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 1986. It was a bitter pill to swallow for fans of the Stars and Stripes, especially as soccer has been growing leaps and bounds in this country in the past 25 years.

But some of that pain was relieved Wednesday when it was revealed the United States would be one of the host countries for the 2026 World Cup. The U.S. bid to host the 2026 edition of the tournament in a joint bid with Mexico and Canada. Right now, the plan is for the U.S. to host 60 games while Canada and Mexico host 10 games each.

This announcement is absolutely huge for soccer in the United States. The last time the U.S. hosted the World Cup was in 1994, when the sport in this country was still in its infancy. There was no professional soccer league in America at the time, and soccer was not a sport that was televised much at all.

However, the tournament set in motion the advancement of soccer in America. Two years after the World Cup came, Major League Soccer was started. And 22 years later, there are now 23 teams in the league, including one in Atlanta that had some games in excess of 70,000 fans last season.

Other leagues are also available to watch on television and are popular with American fans. NBC Sports Network shows English Premier League games while FS1 shows games from the German professional league.

International matches are also a fixture on television, with both ESPN and FS1 showing both men’s and women’s games featuring the United States and Mexico.

Soccer is also the fastest growing sport for children to play, and youth soccer has exploded in recent years. Athens Parks and Recreation Department had its highest soccer turnout ever this spring.

While soccer still takes a backseat to football, baseball and basketball in America, it has grown to become more than just a niche sport with a cult following. It has broken into the mainstream with a large following of dedicated fans.

Wednesday’s announcement that the United States will host the world’s largest sporting event in eight years is just further proof of how far the sport has come. Soccer has arrived in the U.S. and it is here to stay.

Jeff Edwards can be reached at jeff@athensnews-courier.com.