On June 12, all the world’s attention will be focused on the start of Brazil’s 2014 FIFA World cup; will yours be? Here’s why it should.
Every four years, the world unites around its love for the game of soccer by hosting a tournament of 64 games with 32 countries from all over the world. This year, the participating teams are broken down into 5 from South America, 4 from North/Central America, 4 from Asia, 5 from Africa, and 13 from Europe. This tournament will also be the first tournament for Bosnia and Herzegovina.
At the beginning of the FIFA World Cup, the 32 countries will be divided up into 8 groups of 4, where the two teams of each group that perform the best will move on to the elimination round. The importance of the groups this year is that while there is normally one “Group of Death” consisting of some of the best teams, this year there are considered to be 3 groups of death, hopefully providing some incredible matches.
“Groups of Death:”
Group B: Spain, Netherlands, Australia, and Chile
Group D: Uruguay, Costa Rica, Italy, and England
Group G: Germany, Portugal, Ghana, and USA
With games being played in 12 of Brazil’s different cities, it is easy to see how most of Brazil will be in the spotlight. They also hold the record for most FIFA World Cup wins with pressure being put on them to win five times in their home territory. The last and only other time Brazil hosted the World Cup, they lost in the finals to Uruguay 2-1, giving them a desire to win once more on their home turf.
The official slogan for the FIFA World Cup is, “Juntos num so ritmo” or, “all in one rhythm.” This slogan relates to Brazil’s love for music and dance, which mostly consists of Samba.
However, in addition to all of the FIFA World Cup supporters, there are also unhappy civilians who believe that the 13.3 billion dollars of funding used to support the World Cup would be better spent on other things, such as infrastructure or health care.
If you’re a soccer fan, make sure to tune in on June 12th to join in on the fun and support your country!
