2018 FIFA World Cup: Football Showpiece kicks off June 14

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02:22

With just 23 days until the World Cup kicks off in Russia, football fever is running high in South Africa. The country failed to qualify, so one primary school in Johannesburg has organised their own mini World Cup. Julie Scheier has more.

With the World Cup around the corner, schools around Johannesburg are being swept by football fever. Harmony Primary School in Lenasia staged their own Mini World Cup.

JEROME SMIT MINI WORLD CUP COORDINATOR "This tournament is mostly about celebrating our 25th anniversary but that means we also trying to uplift the education of learners in the area. Education also around the Russia 2018 World Cup that will be taking place in June about the process of a world cup and how it runs and the different teams that are involved."

Each school represented countries partaking in the Russia world cup.

JEROME SMIT MINI WORLD CUP COORDINATOR "All the teams here today represent various countries in the Russia world cup so our team for instance as the hosts we are Russia we have used this to basically educate our learners and-also for them just to enjoy the same kind of soccer spectacle that will be enjoyed in Russia."

The tournament was played in the World Cup format, with teams playing three group matches to determine the sixteen second-round qualifiers, followed by a quarter final, semi-final and final.

MINENAHLE DLAMINI HARMONY PRIMARY SCHOOL PUPIL "I am very excited about the world cup because all the best teams are going to be playing and I am really excited to watch it and the best is competing against the best. I am very excited."

BOHLALE MOLOEYE HARMONY PRIMARY SCHOOL PUPIL "My favourite team for the world cup is Argentina because Lionel Messi is there and he gives me the drive and the passion. I want to turn out like him, he gives me the drive and the passion for soccer."

But the tournament was more than just sports, it was about unity and diversity. And at the end there may not have been an overall team winner in this Mini World Cup, but there were plenty of lessons learned.

BOHLALE MOLOEYE HARMONY PRIMARY SCHOOL PUPIL "The Russia World Cup is about all the teams in the world uniting to play an amazing sport called soccer, it is so great that all the teams unite in this way because it shows the love and the passion for the sport." Julie Scheier, CGTN, Lenasia, South Africa.