Chill, relax, the supersized Fifa World Cup of chaos is upon us and I'm totally here for it

There is nothing crazier and more beautiful than sport. For the next six weeks, men will run about trying to kick a football into a net. That simple act will see billions of people glued to screens, cheering for their favourite superstar or team, and raging about everything from referees to immigration.

It will divide us and bring us together in equal parts. We'll laugh with strangers. Children will pretend to be their heroes. Grown men will cry. Many will wonder what on Earth is going on.

What is happening is the biggest World Cup in history. It's the supersized option from the tournament menu. In a country that likes to do everything a little bit bigger than everyone else, they're taking it to the max.

48 teams are playing across 16 venues in three countries. Even for the biggest football fan, the knockout game schedule is a marathon. For those heading to America, the distances between locations are many marathons combined and the ticket prices are eye-watering.

Even the weathermen are predicting big things. A bit of rain and heat? No. Expect major thunderstorms and the kind of humid conditions that make us all head to the mall. Lightning strikes and deluges could see games cancelled or delayed, which the poor players may be thankful for after sprinting around in bright sunshine with thermometers pushing over 35C.

Then there are the dark clouds of fractured US politics that is impossible to escape. President Donald Trump's appearances in stadiums may get quite a loud reaction if the recent NBA match in New York is anything to go by.

The politics has crossed the white line onto the field of play as well. We've already seen a Somalian referee refused entry to the US, an Iraq player quizzed for several hours, many fans and staff members facing visa issues and Iran's team setting up camp in Mexico with only brief trips north of the border.

Is Fifa president Gianni Infantino worried about the controversies over recent days and the concerns that more will come? "Just, you know, chill, relax," he said at a news conference in the Azteca Stadium before the opening match:  Mexico vs South Africa.

So that's all of that sorted then. Time to switch on the TV, get the takeaway ordered and kick back without a worry in the world as Messi, Ronaldo and co transport us into sporting utopia.

My reality, despite my scepticism and concern, is I'll be hooked. Glued to the competition that I've loved since I sneakily turned on the TV in the middle of the night to watch icons of the game such as Romario and Baggio at World Cup '94, which was also in the US. I still remember the moment Diana Ross missed a choreographed goal during the opening ceremony. The rest of the tournament was a great success. 

My head tells me that staying up late or waking up early to watch countries I have little passion for is madness, along with spending several weeks working out different fixture permutations that never come to fruition. My heart just tells my head to shut up and enjoy the ride.

While I'm not sure we'll all be chilling out here at Gulf News, we are keen to have fun over the coming weeks. We already have the UAE's first World Cup simulator live on gulfnews.com, we have our World Cup podcast across platforms with football stars here in the UAE, and you may have noticed that we have a new member in the team.

Shawk the Hawk has been at Gulf News HQ to predict the results of key fixtures and will be featuring online and in print each day. He has been a great new employee, apart from almost getting into a fight with a crow. A blip on his HR record. Wish our feathered oracle luck.

I leave you with a quote from Italian footballing legend and Dubai resident Andrea Pirlo, who speaks with the same eloquence as he played: “There are always lessons to be found in the darkest moments. It's a moral obligation to dig deep and find that little glimmer of hope or pearl of wisdom."

There will be many moments of magic, joy and kindness over the coming weeks to look out for and to capture. Despite all of the noise, sport and the human spirit will be the winner of this World Cup. It always is.