Thirty-two of the world's best football teams are now competing for the iconic golden World Cup trophy -- but the planet's most populous nation is not among them.
三十二支来自各个国家的最优秀的足球队都在为争夺金灿灿的世界杯奖杯而相互角逐——然而世界上人口最大的国家却不在他们之列。

Team China failed to qualify for the "beautiful game's" showpiece event in Brazil. In fact China's World Cup dream turned into a nightmare as early as 2011, when it was eliminated in a regional qualifying round.
中国队还不够资格去参与在巴西举行的这场精彩赛事。事实上，中国的世界杯之梦早在2011年就成了一场噩梦，当时其在亚洲区预选赛中失去了进军巴西的资格。

Still, these setbacks have not deflated the football fever here.
然而，中国队在球场上的失意并没有挫伤中国球迷的热情。

"There is a huge following for international football in China because local fans celebrate global talent," said Kronick, a long-time Beijing resident who plays football in a local amateur league. "The World Cup is about 'nationalism' at its finest, absent politics, and that's what makes it enjoyable."
“中国有一大批球迷关注世界足坛，因为他们喜欢那些世界足球明星。”一位名叫克罗尼克的北京市民说，他长期居住在北京，还参加了当地的业余足球队。“世界杯是关于‘爱国主义’的，这种‘爱国主义’完全不具备政治内涵，因而也就具有最好的政治内涵。这就是为什么人们喜爱世界杯。”

Chinese football fans have been enjoying the action in Brazil despite matches taking place after midnight, Beijing time.
尽管巴西的赛事总是在北京时间的午夜举行，中国的球迷们还是在享受这些赛事。

By hook or by crook, local fans are finding ways to stay up late for the games. Some took paid leave, others found excuses to stay home, such as getting doctors to sign sick-leave certificates. A man asked to take the day off ostensibly to attend a teacher-parent conference.
中国的球迷们为了熬夜看球想尽了各种方法。有的申请带薪休假，有的找借口请假——比如请医生签病假条。某人声称请一天假是为了去开家长会。

Since the month-long competition opened in Brazil, legions of Chinese sports fans have been gathering for viewing parties in their living rooms, in factory and school dormitories, and in restaurants and bars, many of which have opened late for the fans to watch matches live on Chinese television.
自为期一个月的巴西世界杯开赛以来，大批的中国球迷集结成团、共同观赛。他们聚集在客厅里，在工厂和学校宿舍里，在餐馆和酒吧里——许多餐馆和酒吧营业直至深夜，还提供电视让球迷们观看直播赛事。

Of course, not all of these sleep-deprived folks are bona fide football fans. A posting on Baidu, China's largest search engine, noted that the Chinese have recently coined the word "wei qiumi," or "fake soccer fans," referring to people who watch the game only once in a while, who care more about the final scores rather than enjoying the actual games, and who think celebrity players play a more important role in matches than the coaches.
当然，并非所有熬夜不睡的人都是真正的球迷。中国最大的搜索引擎网站百度中，百度贴吧上有这样一则帖子，说中国人近来杜撰出了“伪球迷”一词，即指那些仅仅是撇两眼赛事，比起赛程本身更关心最终比分，更关注明星球员而不是教练的人。