Ladies and gentlemen, it is finally 2014 and that means one thing above all else: The World Cup is this year.
ESPN just released its first ad for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Embedded above, the nearly two-minute spot will give soccer fans goose bumps as they while away these final six months until the greatest event in sports kicks off June 12.
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Set to a sweeping soundtrack, the ad looks back on iconic players and teams from past World Cups. It juxtaposes that history with current Brazilian stars and street scenes from the soccer-obsessed South American country, which ESPN calls the event's "spiritual home."
The ad captures so many reasons the World Cup captures the collective imagination of sports fans around the globe: the epic scale, the history, the drama, the human emotion, the undeniable sense of global importance.
But if you're somehow still not excited, this clip of a Portuguese sportscaster celebrating Portugal making the tournament in November will surely do the trick.
BONUS: 50 Stunning Sports Photos From 2013
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