On June 7, I submitted a post describing the odd connection between victory in the World Cup and a nation’s fascist legacy. Briefly, with the exception of Great Britain in 1966, by a disputed goal in overtime against Germany, every World Cup champion since the beginning of competition in 1930 has had a fascist government at some time in its history. News you can use?

Here’s how things are stacking up so far in the 2010 FIFA competition.

The US and England are out. Today, Paraguay plays Japan, and Spain will play Portugal. I give Japan a pass on the fascist question, since it is stretching things a bit to define the Japanese military government of the 30’s and 40’s as a “fascist” regime. But Paraguay, Spain, and Portugal are well within the definition, so things are looking good for a continuation of the tradition. In the quarterfinals on July 2 and July 3, Argentina will play Germany; Uruguay will play Ghana; and the Netherlands will play Brazil. If the tradition continues, Uruguay will defeat Ghana, and Brazil will defeat the Netherlands — although on occasion non-fascist regimes have made it to the semi-finals, only to have their hopes dashed.

Stay tuned.

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