World Cup

Category: Drills

World Cup, also known as Cuppy, is a fun game that can be set up as either an end of practice treat or a real drill. This drill focuses on teamwork, quick thinking, finding space, and passing and shooting at the right time.

World Cup Soccer Drill

Setup

  • Gather players in front of one of the goal areas.
  • The goalkeeper should take his or her place in the goal. If there is more than one goalkeeper, they can switch between games.
  • Players should pair up in twos or threes, forming several “teams”.
  • Have each team decide what country they’d like to be. This is where the drill derives its name from! Each team represents a country and they will be competing against each other.

Instructions

  • To begin the first round of play, a coach or player not involved in actual play should throw or kick a ball into the playing area.
  • Teams will then need to compete against each other, all at the same time, to win the ball and score a goal in order to advance to the next round.
  • Each time a ball goes out of play or a team scores a goal, a coach or player not involved in actual play should throw or kick a ball into the playing area again. The remaining teams will continue to compete against each other and try to score a goal.
  • This will continue until the last two teams who haven’t scored remain on the field. Those two teams do not advance to the next round of play. A new round of play will then begin and this pattern will continue until only two teams are left to face each other. The first team that scores wins the World Cup!

Coaching Tips

  • Communication is key between players.
  • Since the field is congested with so many small teams, players on the same team need to work together, use quick thinking, and get to open space in order to find a clear shot at goal.
  • If players tend to hold onto the ball too much, they risk losing it and providing an opportunity for another team to score.
  • Rebounds are a great way of scoring quickly. Advise players to use that to their advantage and attack the net after a shot is taken, even if the shot wasn’t from a player on their own team.
  • Advise players that passing or shooting from long distance is risky. Opposing teams have the potential of intercepting a pass or shot and could have a better scoring chance.

Variations

  • A second and third ball can be added into play to make things more interesting!
  • This can also help if it is taking too long for teams to score a goal.
  • For teams that are eliminated from play, they can take laps around the field until the round is over.