Kemal Vukelj is a longtime property manager based in Teaneck, New Jersey, who has spent more than 35 years overseeing building operations, maintenance, and large-scale renovation projects across the New York City area. Since 2014, he has managed rental buildings for 6448 Realty Associates, coordinating with tenants and staff, negotiating commercial leases, and overseeing projects such as a full-building sprinkler system installation and a Local Law 97 facade restoration. He also serves as director of engineering and maintenance at Carnegie Hotel and Linen Service in the Bronx, where he maintains machinery for a 400-employee facility supporting major Manhattan luxury hotels. His career traces back to the mid-1980s with Fred Smith Plumbing and Heating. Away from work, Vukelj is a devoted soccer fan, a passion reflected in his enthusiasm for the sport’s history and global reach.
According to the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the international governing body of soccer, there are roughly 3.5 billion soccer fans worldwide. On top of that huge fan base, more than 250 million people actively play the game each year in more than 190 nations. This massive reach makes soccer (known as football outside of North America) the most popular sport on the planet.
For comparison, cricket and hockey trail as the second and third most-followed sports, drawing 2.5 and 2 billion supporters, respectively. While soccer enjoys its strongest following in Europe, South America, Africa, and the Middle East, its popularity is rapidly growing across North America and Asia.
No international soccer event captures attention quite like the FIFA World Cup. The thrilling 2022 final in Qatar between Argentina and France pulled in a staggering 1.5 billion viewers. To put that into perspective, it eclipses the viewership of Super Bowl LIX in 2025, where the Kansas City Chiefs played the Philadelphia Eagles to a record-breaking television audience of 127 million, by well over 1 billion people.
Running from November 20 to December 18, the 2022 Qatar tournament made history as the first winter World Cup. Traditionally, the competition takes place during June and July. However, because summer temperatures in Qatar can skyrocket to a grueling 122 degrees Fahrenheit, playing safely was out of the question. To accommodate this, FIFA rescheduled the event to the local winter months, when conditions hover at a far more comfortable 68 to 77 degrees.
The quadrennial event reached new milestones when it returned in June 2026. Staged across 16 cities in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, it marked the first time three nations shared hosting duties. The 2026 edition also expanded the soccer competition’s scale, opening the field to 48 international teams rather than the traditional 32.
Looking even further ahead, the 2030 World Cup is set to break more boundaries by spanning three continents, Africa, Europe, and South America. Matches will be played across six host nations – Morocco, Portugal, Spain, Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay.
While historians debate its precise origins, the foundations of soccer go back over two thousand years. Early iterations emerged in ancient Greece, Rome, Central America, and China, though these past versions differed wildly from modern soccer. Around 255 BC, Han Dynasty China played a disciplined game called Tsu Chu (or “kickball”), where participants attempted to kick a small leather ball into an opening just 15 inches wide.
The sport we recognize today truly took shape in late 19th-century England. It quickly gained traction among the British working class, who saw it as an excellent way to keep youth physically fit and focused. Over time, players and organizers unified fragmented local rules into a standardized code. This established foundational regulations still used today, such as prohibiting tripping opponents and handling the ball while it is in play, along with introducing the penalty kick in 1891.
Debates over the greatest soccer players of all time are endless, but consensus lists inevitably feature iconic figures who dominated soccer and collected its highest honors. Legends like Diego Maradona, Zinedine Zidane, Michel Platini, Roberto Baggio, and Cristiano Ronaldo are constants in the conversation. Alongside them stands Lionel Messi, one of the highest goal scorers at the FIFA World Cup with over 18 goals, and the legendary Pele, whose spectacular six-goal performance in 1958 propelled football giants Brazil to their very first World Cup title.
About Kemal Vukelj
Kemal Vukelj is a Teaneck, New Jersey-based property management professional with more than 35 years of experience in building operations, maintenance, and construction oversight. He currently manages rental properties for 6448 Realty Associates in New York City and serves as director of engineering and maintenance at Carnegie Hotel and Linen Service in the Bronx. Outside of work, Vukelj is an avid soccer fan and enjoys film photography, basketball, and chess.
