1. Samba music
YouTube credit: HSIOM
2. Watching this guy in action
YouTube credit: CriRo7i
3. Ridiculously colourful goalkeeping jerseys
(Neal Simpson/EMPICS Sport)
4. So much football, as David Mitchell would say
YouTube credit: Sarah M
5. US 94 nostalgia with late-night kick-offs (some group games start at 10pm Irish time)
(Mike Egerton/EMPICS Sport)
6. Seeing if Belgium can live up to the billing of being everyone’s ‘dark horses’
(DIRK WAEM/Belga/Press Association Images)
7. Bosnian fans and their outlandish celebrations
(Amel Emric/AP/Press Association Images)
8. Commentators like Nuno Matos going mad
YouTube credit: footballtv776
9. Playing the football clichés drinking game
Image credit:10. All the incredibly passionate fans
(Andres Kudacki/AP/Press Association Images)
(DENIS FARRELL/AP/Press Association Images)
(Cathal McNaughton/PA Archive/Press Association Images)
10. The endless scope for montages
YouTube credit: killianm2
11. The often quite catchy official song
YouTube credit: shakiraVEVO
12. The ludicrous-but-entertaining pre-tournament hype
YouTube credit: bombomchicken
13. The unusual way in which it often brings nations together
YouTube credit: Njoy fo͝otˌbôl
14. The lavish opening ceremonies
(Neal Simpson/EMPICS Sport)
15. The unpredictable drama that often occurs on the big occasions
16. Eamon Dunphy and the rest of the RTE panel’s controversial/always entertaining views on the sport
YouTube credit: RTÉ – Ireland’s National Television and Radio Broadcaster
17. The return of Paul the Octopus, or some equally psychic animal
(Frank Augstein/AP/Press Association Images)
18. Given that Ireland haven’t qualified, the nation can now engage in its second-favourite pastime — slagging the English team
19. And of course, the abundance of great football on display
YouTube credit: Arjun Pradeep
A version of this article was published on 22 November, 2013.