As the holiday season nears, many questions may arise like what side dish are you making for thanksgiving dinner? What Christmas movie are we watching? Or if you find yourself to be a sports fan: Am I watching basketball or football? Well, this year you can add another sport to the watchlist. For the first time ever, the FIFA Men’s World Cup will begin Nov. 20 and end Dec. 18, meaning this year’s Thanksgiving and Christmas parties could look a little different.  

The reason for a third holiday sport? Well, the soccer tournament will be held in Qatar, a place known for reaching temperatures of up to 122 degrees in the summer. To keep players safe and reduce the risk of dehydration, the World Cup was moved to a cooler climate. With soccer being a summer sport, for some it might be on the bottom of the watchlist but, if you love the fast-paced energy of a soccer match, it is perfect to keep you sitting on your couch and not at the dinner table on Thanksgiving. 

Soccer is not perfect, as some matches can exceed the 90-minute period and can even be scoreless the entire time. However, this being the biggest stage in soccer, the pros are likely to keep the games entertaining with questionable calls, fouls and a few goals here and there. Sadly, there will not be a game on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, but you can catch the final World Cup match Dec. 20.  

For some, tradition might be more to your liking as the NFL has had a Thanksgiving game since its inception. This year, games include the Bills and Lions at 10:30 a.m. followed by the Cowboys and Giants in a divisional game at 2:30 p.m. and the last game of the night being the Vikings and the Patriots battling it out at 6:30 p.m. A month later during Christmas, the NFL will have three games on Christmas Day, and most of that week’s games will take place on Christmas Eve.  

If you find yourself wanting to watch basketball, a series of games will take place the day before Thanksgiving, Nov. 23, and the day after, Nov. 25. For Christmas, there will also be a series of games to keep you flipping back and forth between the channels to keep up with the NBA and the NFL. 

Now which one is the best? With soccer being played around this time on such a big stage, the World Cup is sure to be a nail-bitter from beginning to end. It is also reported that it could be some star players last time on the big stage. 

The World Cup only happens every four years whereas football and basketball happen every year. Although football and basketball might be closer to home and more manageable to even attend in person, soccer has a way of not just bringing families together, but nations. 

Itzel Giron is the multimedia editor and can be reached at [email protected]; @by.itzel.giron on Instagram; @itzel_anahi_16 on Twitter.