All eyes will be on Germany for a whole month as from today, as 32 nations battle for what is considered the most coveted title in sport – the football World Cup.

Sixty-four matches over a span of 30 days will determine who the winner will be, and for football lovers all over the world it is a feast to which they all look forward every four years. After a long qualifying round, and months of preparation, it is time to begin.

Germany will be hosting the World Cup for the second time, and it will do so after an interval of 32 years. Back then, the country was still divided into East and West, with the latter emerging victorious after beating Holland in the final.

The country has invested heavily in new stadia and the upgrading of others to be able to give the World Cup a worthy home. But, unlike other occasions, the host country is not the top favourite to clinch the title.

Germany has a young team which, on paper, does not have enough experience to go for the top place. Yet there have been many occasions in the past when the German side has managed to move forward in the competition against all expectations. Coach Jurgen Klinsmann will be hoping to lead his team further than many critics are predicting.

Of course, the natural favourites to win the World Cup are Brazil, who have won two of the last three competitions and who seem to be a stronger side than they were four years ago, when they overcame Germany in the 2002 final.

Brazil have won a record five World Cups and look set to win their sixth, although football is a strange game and anything can happen between today and 9 July, the day of the final.

Apart from Germany and Brazil, there are other countries who may have their chances. Italy and England, the teams that have a strong backing in Malta, can be considered as the dark horses, although both have been plagued by injuries and the teams arrive at the competition not in best shape.

Holland, Argentina, Spain, France and the Czech Republic all have the credentials to progress in the tournament too.

In the end, it all depends on what happens on the field of play. Football requires skill, ambition, motivation, physical fitness and tactics, but luck also plays a big part in the game. Referees will also play an important role, and one hopes that they will commit as few mistakes as possible, and hopefully that these will not influence the overall outcome.

In Malta, like everywhere else, World Cup fever has been rising steadily as everyone, even those who do not particularly follow football at any other time, prepare themselves for the big show.

Politics will be sidelined for the coming month, as all talk in offices, bars and public gatherings will be on what is happening in Germany. Posters showing the official programme have been hung and many people have arranged their appointments around the World Cup schedule. Flags have already been raised on roofs or attached to balconies, and many bars have prepared big screens in a bid to attract more customers.

It is, on the whole, a big feast and one hopes it will turn out to be one irrespective of which team wins. Locally, we expect carcades – after wins, and probably also after the defeats of the “rivals”, although many question why the Maltese celebrate the victories of other nations.

But that is part of the fun too. What we suggest, however, is that people do not exaggerate their behaviour. Wins should be celebrated, but the best sportsman is the one who respects the defeated.

Let the show begin. And may the best team win.