We\u2019re one week closer to the World Cup, so you know what that means. That means that it\u2019s time for the continuation of our blog series \u2013 Geronigo\u2019s World Cup of Adventures! After running through Group C last week, we\u2019ll be continuing this week with Group D which features four vastly different countries \u2013 Argentina, Iceland, Croatia, and Nigeria.<\/p>\n
So, without further ado, here\u2019s our run-through of the footballing and adventuring possibilities of each nation. Read on and enjoy!<\/p>\n
Argentina<\/b><\/p>\n
The South Americans could be viewed as the also-rans of the World Cup. Since 1978, Argentina have managed to reach the quarter finals in six out of ten tournaments. From these close-successes, La Albiceleste were awarded the not-so-coveted title of \u2018runners up\u2019 in both 1990 and more recently, in 2014. However, there has been some success for Argentina, as they were crowned champions back in 1978 where the team managed to beat Netherlands on their home soil in Buenos Aires. This summer\u2019s edition of the tournament is likely to be a final effort for many of their ageing star players including Lionel Messi, \u00c1ngel Di Mar\u00eda, Sergio Ag\u00fcero, and Gonzalo Higua\u00edn. The pressure really is on.<\/p>\n
But, what do Argentina hold in the adventuring department? Here at Geronigo, we are open to adventures of all types, but this really is an activity which is new to us \u2013 sandboarding. Located at the foothills in a town called Fiambal\u00e1, this activity is very much like surfing, but on sand. Scores of people can be seen gliding down moderately sloped hills on the sand throughout the summer months \u2013 sometimes incorporating jumps and tricks into their routine!<\/p>\n
Iceland<\/b><\/p>\n
Str\u00e1karnir okkar (Our Boys) enter the tournament as the smallest nation by population to ever qualify for a World Cup! Their population may be small, but their levels of courage and commitment certainly are not. This was proven back in the European Championships of 2016, where they managed to reach the quarter finals. This summer, the Icemen will be in high spirits coming into the tournament as they won their qualifying group over Group D opponents Croatia.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re looking for a once-in-a-lifetime adventure opportunity in Iceland, then there only really is one option \u2013 kayaking. From sea kayaking, to exploring the fjords and even kayaking on a glacier lagoon, it seems like floating across various bodies of water is the best way to experience what this magnificent country has to offer.<\/p>\n
Croatia<\/b><\/p>\n
The Croatian team entering this World Cup may realise that this is, like Argentina, their last chance to accomplish something magical with their current generation of footballers. The quality throughout their squad is something which must be taken note of, especially with players such as Real Madrid\u2019s Luka Modri\u0107, Barcelona\u2019s Ivan Rakiti\u0107, and one to watch Nikola Vla\u0161i\u0107 of Everton. The Croatians really do have the potential to be the surprise package of the tournament.<\/p>\n
But what isn\u2019t a surprise, is the amount of water sports which you can do along the Dalmatian coast of Croatia. From kayaking and canoeing, to stand up paddleboarding (SUP) and snorkelling, Croatia is a water lover\u2019s paradise. Our highlighted activity is one which combines swimming, rock climbing and abseiling. Yep, you guessed it \u2013 canyoning! When you swim, walk, and abseil your way through the Cetina River, you will encounter rapids, clear lakes, and even waterfalls \u2013 making for an unforgettable experience.<\/p>\n
Nigeria<\/b><\/p>\n
German manager Gernot Rohr has transformed the Super Eagles since his appointment in 2016. He has refreshed the side by introducing younger players into the squad to form a ruthless counter-attacking side which features the familiar faces of Chelsea\u2019s Victor Moses and Arsenal\u2019s Alex Iwobi. With a solid-looking defence also in place, Nigeria seem to have a chance of qualification if they manage to maintain the optimism which is in place throughout the squad.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re looking for a high adrenaline activity with a view, then rock climbing is the ideal choice when in Nigeria. There are several challenging rock formations across the West African country including the Zuma Rock, Chappal Waddi, and the Idanre Hills, with the latter rising 3000ft above sea level. The hills provide magnificent views of the surrounding area, and they are even home to a unique ecosystem!<\/p>\n
Final Thoughts<\/b><\/p>\n
From a footballing point of view, Argentina should be a definite when it comes to progression to the knock-out stages. The second-placed qualified team is most likely to be Croatia, according to the bookmakers. However, we shouldn\u2019t rule out Nigeria or even Iceland, as in France two years ago, they proved to the rest of Europe they shouldn’t be underestimated. For that reason, this certainly is a group to keep your eyes on this summer.<\/p>\n
Like the preceding groups in our World Cup of Adventures, each country holds an impressive catalogue of adrenaline-packed activities. But, like the World Cup, there can only be one winner. Iceland really is a country like no other, and this is highlighted by its impressive kayaking locations. Where else on earth can you kayak across glacial lakes, deep blue seas, and impressive fjords?<\/p>\n
And that\u2019s it for Group D! We\u2019ve still got a few weeks yet until the football kicks off in Russia, which means that we\u2019ll be back at the same time next week, where we\u2019ll be running through the next group and reviewing their adrenaline activities.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
We\u2019re one week closer to the World Cup, so you know what that means. That means that it\u2019s time for the continuation of our blog series \u2013 Geronigo\u2019s World Cup of Adventures! After running through Group C last week, we\u2019ll be continuing this week with Group D which features four vastly different countries \u2013 Argentina,… Read More The World Cup of Adventures \u2013 Group D<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1225,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[164,37,292],"tags":[166,165,356,358,357,359,352,354,145,312,353,355,293],"class_list":["post-1224","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-adventure-sports","category-features","category-world-cup","tag-action-sports","tag-adventure-sports","tag-adventure-sports-in-argentina","tag-adventure-sports-in-croatia","tag-adventure-sports-in-iceland","tag-adventure-sports-in-nigeria","tag-argentina","tag-croatia","tag-extreme-sports","tag-football-world-cup","tag-iceland","tag-nigeria","tag-world-cup"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/geronigo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1224","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/geronigo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/geronigo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/geronigo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/geronigo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1224"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/geronigo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1224\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3235,"href":"https:\/\/geronigo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1224\/revisions\/3235"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/geronigo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1225"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/geronigo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1224"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/geronigo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1224"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/geronigo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1224"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}