FIFA, or the Federation Internationale de Football Association, started in 1904 in Paris with only seven countries as members. They had a vision of seeing all the world’s strongest football teams competing for the title of "World Champions." Today, the World Cup has become the greatest single sporting event of the modern world.

Since its conception, the World Cups – all 17 of them-- have seen only seven different winners. But it has earned for itself the status of being the world’s premiere game and has permeated almost every aspect of some country’s culture, society, commerce and politics. According to the FIFA World Cup official website: "Football has enveloped whole regions, peoples and nations. With approximately two hundred million active players, it now constitutes a substantial chunk of the leisure industry, having opened up new markets for itself and for the rest of the business world."

And, of course, the whole global public is captivated by its spell. In the France 98 tournament alone, an accumulated audience of over 37 billion people watched the competition. Talk about one love. So it is no wonder, of course, that fashion, with its tenacious whims for emotional inspirations and grand concepts, has gotten all fired up with World Cup fever. And it’s not only the sportswear industry who’s doing it, across the globe, high street retailers and designer stores are supporting their teams with logo-printed apparel and accessories.

England, which lives and breathes football, is in a deluge of red-and-white color combinations as brands like Ben Sherman and Burton as well as department stores Harrods, Harvey Nichols and Debenhams carry shirts and shorts with the flaming England colors in stripes and solid combos with flag logos, three-lion badges and England appliqués.

Hong Kong, one of the most internationally diverse countries in Asia, carried the theme from store windows to giant billboards of Beckham and a whole league of footballers being coached by a kid. Even the nightlife is punctured by whoops and shouts in Lan Kwai Fong, Hong Kong’s famous strip of clubs and bars, as groups of different nationalities converged to watch football. Widescreen TVs were mounted and stocks of flowing beer were guaranteed to satisfy expats who temporarily call Hong Kong home. Street retailers like Bossini and Giordano had thematic football shirts that had adults’ and kids’ versions.

Stores from all around the world have designs representing the popular teams but the two which are enjoying the spotlight the most are Brazil and Italy. Nike has heavily invested in Brazil with its Joga Bonito (play beautiful) theme, making Brazil team apparel the brand’s key focus. Adidas, on the other hand, is a key player as the competition is being held in its land and hometown. But localizing all campaigns like the promotion of England captain Beckham in London with oversized portraits of him and his team.

Hugo Boss also has pitched his version of the World Cup fever; he offers a range of men’s shoes with tongues that represent different flags. Numerous stores also carry flip-flops in different team colors, which are printed with flags, player numbers and football graphics.

Lest you think that women’s fashion takes a backseat to a predominantly male sport, H&M London encourages girls to style garments according to their favorite team colors. Emblems are brought to life with jeweled studs. And a collection that applauds the one thing that football can’t live without, the humble black and white ball.

My friends and I are new football converts ourselves, couldn’t help getting excited being in the midst of all that electric energy when nationalities come together to watch a single sport. The only thing that we have to worry about now is, who do we actually root for?