what are the chimes during world cup games

The “chimes” during World Cup games are usually goal alerts : a stadium or broadcast sound cue that signals a goal has been scored in another match, especially when games in the same group are happening at the same time. In many cases, two chimes mean a goal is about to be shown on the screens.

What it means

• One chime: a goal happened in another game.

• Two chimes: a replay or on-screen update is coming next.

• It is used to keep fans aware of live action elsewhere in the tournament.

Why it happens

During group-stage tournaments, some matches are played simultaneously to prevent teams from gaming the standings by knowing a result in advance. The chime is basically an attention signal for the crowd and broadcasters.

One important note

If you were thinking of the loud buzzing sound from older World Cup coverage, that was vuvuzelas , not chimes.