A friend asked that question on Facebook about 12 hours ago and I have been pondering it since I read it before leaving for school this morning. Short answer? I don’t know… It’s a tricky question for several reasons as are many involving picking one country when you have more than one passport and ties to more than one country. Typical TCK/TCA thing really. It’s like those other really tricky questions, “Where are you from?” and “Where’s home?” But at least those ones you can chose to go short answer (for me that’s “Canada” the country where I lived for most of my life and the passport I usually travel on) or a longer answer about being born in one country but having citizenship from two (or more) and having lived in X many. For some people the longer answer also involves where one’s parents or grandparents are from, whether or not they have that citizenship or have ever lived in those countries themselves.

But back to the World Cup question and my attempt at an answer. Canada didn’t make it in so that’s out.  The United States of America will be there and perhaps I should cheer for them – I was born in the US, lived there until I was almost 10, have a US passport and lots of family living there. But (and it’s a big but), American patriotism makes me wince and I don’t cheer for Team USA at the Olympics or other sporting events nor do I feel a sense of pride when they win. Blame it on moving to Canada at a young age and realizing how the US looks to the rest of the world.

So what are the other options? Let’s start with other places I have lived. Neither Singapore nor Tanzania will have teams in Brazil. Switzerland will but I can’t say I have much affinity for Switzerland. Not so helpful. What teams have I cheered for in the past? In 2006, I got up in the middle of the night to watch Australia play Italy at a pub in Melbourne. Australia lost. In 2010, I was traveling through East and Southern Africa during the World Cup so games were on a reasonable hour and on at the campgrounds where we stayed. I cheered for any African teams that were playing which was only Ghana once the group stage ended. But then Ghana got knocked out in the quarter finals and I didn’t commit to another team.

This isn’t helping. I still don’t know what team I am supporting. Then again I am not sure sure how many matches I will actually watch so maybe it doesn’t really matter. Maybe I will just watch this clip and think about all the children around the world playing soccer in flipflops with handmade or worn out soccer balls instead.