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Welcome to Japanese Daily News. I'm Maya. Today is June tenth. The soccer World Cup kicks off tomorrow in North America — and this one is the biggest in history. Let's listen.

Let's break it down.

This tournament will be held in three countries: the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

It means a tournament, or a big event. Marathons, sports days, the Olympics — they all use this word.

It's the first time three countries are hosting the World Cup together.

It means together. You'll use it constantly — eating together, going somewhere together, working together.

The number of teams taking part has grown from thirty-two to forty-eight.

It means to increase, to go up in number. News stories use it all the time for prices, visitors, and populations.

It will be the biggest tournament in history.

It means history. You'll meet it in museums, textbooks, and any sentence about the past.

The opening match will be held in Mexico City, the capital of Mexico.

It means a capital city — the main city of a country, like Tokyo for Japan.

Japan is in Group F and will play the Netherlands, Tunisia, and Sweden.

It means a match or a game. Any sports contest, from soccer to judo, is one of these.

Japan's first match is against the Netherlands, starting at five in the morning on June fifteenth, Japan time.

It means the first, or the very beginning. Its opposite means the last.

The tournament continues until July nineteenth.

It means to continue, to go on. Weather forecasts love it — rain that continues all week.

Let's listen to the full story one more time.

Quiz time. Three questions.

In how many countries is the World Cup being held? Three — the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

To how many teams did the tournament grow? Forty-eight, up from thirty-two.

When does Japan's first match start? At five in the morning on June fifteenth, Japan time.

That's today's Japanese Daily News. Full transcript with furigana at podcast.jpnotes.dev. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. See you tomorrow.