Well after a long wait the time has finally arrived. Tomorrow the 2014 FIFA World Cup will begin in Brazil. I've emerged myself in a total soccer phase dating back to last fall, in preparation. I began brushing up on my European leagues, players, the Fifa video game, got involved in a soccer team here at work, and even got cable so that I can watch the games on ESPN. I think it's fair to say that I am more than excited for the cup this year. This is nothing new however for me. The World Cup has been one of my favorite sporting events, ever since I was a kid. I first was inspired by the tournament in 1994, and haven't stopped following it ever since. It happens four times a year, an international soccer tournament to crown the best country in the world. 32 teams from 6 continents qualify to partake at the host country's venues. After a month of matches, there can only be one champion in the end. This year the world stage for the cup happens to be at Brazil.
What makes this tournament so special is the coming together of the world to partake in a game. A game that happens to be the most popular sport in the world. Just as we do for the Olympics, politics and indifference are set aside to partake in this game. The world shares a common passion to watch, play, and cheer for their countries in good spirit. This tournament is a step above the Olympics in my opinion, because soccer is a more widespread game. It is the beautiful game. It blends teamwork with creativity, finesse, athleticism, patience, and precision. When a goal happens it is truly a moment of wonder. I enjoy everything about this game and the cultural celebration that this epic tournament has become.
Brief HistoryFIFA, the Federation International Futbol Association, was formed in 1904 as the governing body of international futbol tournaments. In 1908 soccer became an official game of the London Olympics and this tradition lasted until 1928. However the Olympic games were only for non-professionals so the quality wasn't as good. Therefore FIFA began an international tournament known as the World Cup and in 1930 Uruguay hosted the inaugural event. Ever since the cup has traveled to different host countries every four years, except for 1942 and 1946 due to World War II. This cup in Brazil will be the 20th World Cup.
World Cup Winners
| Men | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Winner | Runner-Up |
Score
| Host Country |
| 1930 | Uruguay | Argentina |
4 - 2
| Uruguay |
| 1934 | Italy | Czechoslovakia |
2 - 1
| Italy |
| 1938 | Italy | Hungary |
4 - 2
| France |
| 1950 | Uruguay | Brazil |
2 - 1
| Brazil |
| 1954 | West Germany | Hungary |
3 - 2
| Switzerland |
| 1958 | Brazil | Sweden |
5 - 2
| Sweden |
| 1962 | Brazil | Czechoslovakia |
3 - 1
| Chile |
| 1966 | England | West Germany |
4 - 2
| England |
| 1970 | Brazil | Italy |
4 - 1
| Mexico |
| 1974 | West Germany | Netherlands |
2 - 1
| Germany |
| 1978 | Argentina | Netherlands |
3 - 1
| Argentina |
| 1982 | Italy | West Germany |
3 - 1
| Spain |
| 1986 | Argentina | West Germany |
3 - 2
| Mexico |
| 1990 | West Germany | Argentina |
1 - 0
| Italy |
| 1994 | Brazil | Italy |
0 - 0
| United States |
| 1998 | France | Brazil |
3 - 0
| France |
| 2002 | Brazil | Germany |
2 - 0
| Korea / Japan |
| 2006 | Italy | France |
5 - 3
| Germany |
| 2010 | Spain | Netherlands |
1 - 0
| South Africa |
5 Championships: Brazil (1958, 1962, 1968, 1972, 2002)4 Championships: Italy (1934, 1938, 1982, 2006)
3 Championships: Germany (1954, 1974, 1990)
2 Championships: Argentina (1978, 1986)
2 Championships: Uruguay (1930, 1950)
1 Championship: France (1998)
1 Championship: England (1966)
1 Championship: Spain (2010)
World Cup Qualifications
The qualification process is just as much a part of the tournament as the tournament itself. The purpose is to reduce the 200 participating countries to 32 teams. This usually begins about 2 years before the cup, and each country, regardless of their previous performances, must prove themselves to enter the tournament. Countries within the continent are grouped with one another, and after several games the teams with the best records are selected to enter the world cup. Of the 6 continents a certain number of countries are allowed into the tournament based on their number of countries as well as their relative performance. This number is determined by FIFA prior to the qualification process. In 2014 the following number of spots were determined by FIFA;
- 13 spots for EUFA (European Zone)
- 5 spots for CAF (African Zone)
- 4 spots for AFC (Asian Zone)
- 6 spots for CONMEBOL (South American Zone)
- 4 spots for CONCAF (North American Zone)
2014 Host Nation: Brazil
This year the cup has returned to Brazil for a second time (they first hosted it in 1950). This is a fitting place to have the tournament as Brazil is one of the most celebrated soccer cultures in the world. They have won the cup 5 times, (3 of which were lead by soccer icon, Pele). They have also been runner-ups twice and finished in the final four three times. They last won it in 2002, lead by their superstar striker Ronaldo and the supporting cast of Rivaldo, Roberto Carlos, and Ronaldinho. They are a clear favorite this time around and will especially be hungry for another championship on their home soil.
2014 Teams to Watch
Brazil
- Group A: Croatia, Mexico, Cameroon
- Previous Cup Honors: 5 championships (1958, 1962, 1968, 1972, 2002), 2 runner-ups (1950, 1998), and 3 final four finishes (1938, 1974, 1978)
- Head Coach: Luiz Felipe Scolari (Managed the 2002 championship team)
- Team Captain: Thiago Silva (46 caps)
- Star Players to Watch: Neymar (Barcelona FC) David Luiz (Chelsea) Thiago Silva (PSG) Dani Alves (Barcelona FC)
- FIFA Ranking: #3
Croatia
- Group A: Brazil, Mexico, Cameroon
- Previous Cup Honors: 1 final four finish (1998) 3 qualifications (1998, 2002, 2006)
- Head Coach: Niko Kovac (1st World Cup)
- Team Captain: Darijo Srna (113 caps)
- Star Players to Watch: Mario Mandzukic (Bayern Munich), Luka Modric (Real Madrid), Darijo Srna (Shakhtar Donetsk)
- FIFA Ranking #18
Spain
- Group B: Netherlands, Chile, Australia
- Previous Cup Honors: 1 championship (2010), 1 final four finish (1950)
- Head Coach: Vicente del Bosque (Managed the 2010 championship team)
- Team Captain: Iker Casillas (154 caps)
- Star Players to Watch: Iker Casillas (Real Madrid), Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), Gerard Pique (Barcelona FC), Andres Iniesta (Barcelona FC), Cesc Fabregas (Barcelona FC), Juan Mata (Manchester United), David Villa (Atletico Madrid), Diego Costa (Atletico Madrid) Sergio Busquets (Barcelona FC)
- FIFA Ranking: #1
- Group B: Spain, Chile, Australia
- Previous Cup Honors: 3 runner-ups (2010, 1978, 1974), 1 final four finish (1998)
- Head Coach: Louis van Gaal (Managed the team at the 2002 cup)
- Team Captain: Robin Van Persie (84 caps)
- Star Players to Watch: Wesley Sneijder (Galatasaray), Arjen Robben (Bayern Munich), Robin Van Persie (Manchester United), Dirk Kuyt (Fenerbache)
- FIFA Ranking: #15
- Group C: Greece, Ivory Coast, Japan
- Previous Cup Honors: 4 qualifications (1962, 1990, 1994, 1998)
- Head Coach: Jose Pekerman (Managed Argentina at 2006 cup)
- Team Captain: Mario Yepes (97 caps)
- Star Players to Watch: Adrian Ramos (Borussia Dortmund) Fredy Guarin (Inter Milan) James Rodriguez (Monaco) Falcao-injured (Monaco)
- FIFA Ranking: #8
- Group C: Colombia, Greece, Japan
- Previous Cup Honors: 2 qualifications (2006, 2010)
- Head Coach: Sabri Lamouchi (1st World Cup)
- Team Captain: Didier Drogba (101 caps)
- Star Players to Watch: Didier Drogba (Galatasaray) Yaya Toure (Manchester City)
- FIFA Ranking: #23
Uruguay- Group D: Costa Rica, England, Italy
- Previous Cup Honors: 2 championships (1930, 1950), 3 final four finishes (1954, 1970, 2010)
- Head Coach: Oscar Tabarez (Coach since 2006; Final four finish in 2010)
- Team Captain: Diego Lugano (94 caps)
- Star Players to Watch: Luis Suarez (Liverpool FC), Diego Forlan (Cerezo Osaka), Edinson Cavani (PSG), Diego Godin (Atletico Madrid)
- FIFA Ranking: #7
England
- Group D: Uruguay, Costa Rica, Italy
- Previous Cup Honors: 1 championship (1966), 1 final four finish (1990)
- Head Coach: Roy Hodgson (1st World Cup)
- Team Captain: Steven Gerrard (110 caps)
- Star Players to Watch: Steven Gerrard (Liverpool FC), Frank Lampard (Chelsea FC), Daniel Sturridge (Liverpool FC), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)
- FIFA Ranking: #10
- Group D: Uruguay, Costa Rica, England
- Previous Cup Honors: 4 championships (1934, 1938, 1982, 2006), 2 runner-ups (1970, 1994), 2 final four finishes (1978, 1990)
- Head Coach: Cesare Prandelli (1st World Cup)
- Team Captain: Gianluigi Buffon (140 caps)
- Star Players to Watch: Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus), Daniele De Rossi (Roma), Andrea Pirlo (Juventus), Mario Balotelli (AC Milan)
- FIFA Rakning: #9
- Group E: Ecuador, France, Honoduras
- Previous Cup Honors: 9 qualifications (1934, 1838, 1950, 1954, 1962, 1966, 1994, 2006, 2010)
- Head Coach: Ottmar Hitzfeld (Manged team at 2006 and 2010 World Cup)
- Team Captain: Gokhan Inler (73 caps)
- Star Players to Watch: Xherdan Shaqiri (Bayern Munich), Philipe Senderos (Aston Villa)
- FIFA Ranking: #6
- Group E: Switzerland, Ecuador, Honduras
- Previous Cup Honors: 1 championship (1998), 1 runner-up (2006), 3 final four finishes (1958, 1982, 1986)
- Head Coach: Didier Deschamps (1st World Cup)
- Team Captain: Hugo Lloris (57 caps)
- Star Players to Watch: Karim Benzema (Real Madrid), Olivier Giroud (Arsenal), Paul Pogba (Juventus), Bacary Sagna (Arsenal), Patrice Evra (Manchester United), Frank Ribery-injured (Bayern Munich)
- FIFA Ranking: #17
Argentina
- Group F: Bosnia, Iran, Nigeria
- Previous Cup Honors: 2 championships (1978, 1986), 2 runner-ups (1930, 1990)
- Head Coach: Alejandro Sabella (1st World Cup)
- Team Captain: Lionel Messi (86 caps)
- Star Players to Watch: Lionel Messi (Barcelona FC), Angel Di Maria (Real Madrid), Javier Mascherano (Barcelona FC), Gonzalo Higuain (Napoli), Rodrigo Palacio (Inter Milan), Sergio Aguero (Manchester City)
- FIFA Ranking: #5
- Group G: Portugal, Ghana, USA
- Previous Cup Honors: 3 championships (1954, 1974, 1990), 4 runner-ups (1966, 1982, 1986, 2002), 5 final four finishes (1934, 1958, 1970, 2006. 2010)
- Head Coach: Joachim Low (Managed team at 2006 and 2010 World Cup)
- Team Captain: Philip Lahm (106 caps)
- Star Players to Watch: Manuel Nueur (Bayern Munich), Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich), Mesut Ozil (Arsenal), Lukas Podolski (Arsenal), Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich), Toni Kroos (Bayern Munich), Mario Gotze (Bayern Munich), Miroslav Kloze (Lazio), Marco Reus-injured (Borussia Dortmund)
- FIFA Ranking: #2
Portugal
- Group G: Germany, Ghana, USA
- Previous Cup Honors: 2 final four finishes (1966, 2006) 5 qualifications (1966, 1986, 2002, 2006, 2010)
- Head Coach: Paulo Beto (1st World Cup)
- Team Captain: Cristiano Ronaldo (111 caps)
- Star Players to Watch: Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid), Nani (Manchester United), Raul Meireles (Fenerbache), Fabio Coentrao (Real Madrid), Pepe (Real Madrid), Hugo Almeida (Besiktas)
- FIFA Ranking: #4
United States
- Group G: Germany, Portugal, Ghana
- Previous Cup Honors: 1 final four finish (1930), 9 qualifications (1930, 1934, 1950, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010)
- Head Coach: Jurgen Klinsmann (Managed Germany in 2006)
- Team Captain: Clint Dempsey (105 caps)
- Star Players to Watch: Michael Bradley (Toronto FC), Tim Howard (Everton), Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders), Jozy Altidore (Sunderland)
- FIFA Ranking: #13
- Group H: Algeria, Russia, South Korea
- Previous Cup Honors: 1 final four finish (1986), 11 qualifications (1930, 1934, 1938, 1954, 1970, 1982, 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002)
- Head Coach: Marc Wilmots (1st World Cup)
- Team Captain: Vincent Kompany (59 Caps)
- Star Players to Watch: Eden Hazard (Chelsea), Mousa Dembele (Tottenham Hotspur), Marouane Fellaini (Manchester United), Vincent Kompany (Manchester City) Thibaut Courtois (Atletico Madrid) Thomas Vermaelen (Arsenal)
- FIFA Ranking: #11
Other Players to Watch
- Mexico: Javier Hernandez (Manchester United)
- Cameroon: Samuel Eto'o (Chelsea)
- Chile: Arturo Vidal (Juventus) Alexis Sanchez (Barcelona FC)
- Australia: Tim Cahill (New York Red Bulls)
- Greece: Sokratis Papastathopoulus (Borussia Dortmund)
- Japan: Shinji Kagawa (Manchester United)
- Costa Rica: Joel Campbell (Arsenal)
- Ecuador: Antonio Valencia (Manchester United)
- Honduras: Andy Najar (Anderlecht)
- Bosnia-Herzegovina: Edin Dzeko (Manchester City)
- Iran: Ashkah Dejagah (Fulham)
- Nigeria: Victor Moses (Liverpool FC), John Obi Mikel (Chelsea), Emmanuel Emenike (Fenerbache)
- Ghana: Kwadwo Asamoah (Juventus), Kevin Prince-Boateng (FC Schalke), Michael Essian (AC Milan)
- Algeria: Saphir Taider (Inter Milan)
- Russia: Alexander Kerzhakov (Zenit Saint Petersburg)
- South Korea: Ji Dong-won (Borussia Dortmund), Park Chu-Young (Arsenal)
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