The2014 FIFA World Cup was the 20thFIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship formen's nationalfootball teams organised byFIFA. It took place inBrazil from 12 June to 13 July 2014, after the country was awarded the hosting rights in 2007. It was the second time that Brazil staged the competition, the first being in1950, and the fifth time that it was held in South America.
31 national teams advanced throughqualification competitions to join the host nation in the final tournament (withBosnia and Herzegovina as the only debutant). A total of 64 matches were played in 12 venues located in as many host cities across Brazil. For the first time at a World Cup finals, match officials usedgoal-line technology, as well asvanishing spray forfree kicks.[6]FIFA Fan Fests in each host city gathered a total of 5 million people, and the country received 1 million visitors from 202 countries.[7]Spain, the defending champions, were eliminated at the group stage. Host nation Brazil, who had won the2013 FIFA Confederations Cup,lost to Germany 7–1 in the semi-finals and eventually finished in fourth place.[8]
Inthe final, Germany defeated Argentina 1–0 after extra time thanks to aMario Götze half-volley in the 113th minute of the final[9] to win the tournament and secure the country's fourth world title, their first major tournament win sinceUEFA Euro 1996, the first afterGerman reunification in 1990, when as West Germany they also beat Argentina by the same score in 90 minutes in theWorld Cup final. Germany became the first European team to win a World Cup staged in theAmericas,[10] and this result marked the third consecutive title won by a European team, after Italy in2006 and Spain in2010.[11][12]
In March 2003, FIFA announced that the tournament would be held in South America for the first time since1978, in line with its policy at the time of rotating the right to host the World Cup among different confederations.[13][14] With the2010 FIFA World Cup hosted in South Africa, it would be the second consecutive World Cup outside Europe, which was a first for the tournament. It was also sixth time (second consecutive) in the Southern Hemisphere.[15] Only Brazil and Colombia formally declared their candidacy but, after the withdrawal of the latter from the process,[16] Brazil was officially elected as host nation unopposed on 30 October 2007.[17]
Following qualification matches played between June 2011 and November 2013, the following 32 teams – shown with their last pre-tournamentFIFA world ranking[18] – qualified for the final tournament. Twenty-four of these teams were returning participants from the2010 World Cup.Bosnia and Herzegovina were the only team with no previous appearance at the World Cup finals.[nb 1][19]Colombia qualified for the World Cup after16 years of absence, whileBelgium andRussia both returned after12 years.Paraguay failed to qualify for the first time since 1994. This was also the first World Cup for32 years that did not feature a representative from the Nordic countries.Iran,Costa Rica,Ecuador, andCroatia returned to the tournament after missing the 2010 tournament. The highest ranked team not to qualify wasUkraine (ranked 16th), while the lowest ranked team that did qualify wasAustralia (ranked 62nd).[18]
As of2022, this was the last time Chile, Ivory Coast, Greece, Italy, Honduras, and Algeria qualified for the World Cup finals, the only time Bosnia and Herzegovina have qualified, and the last time Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Tunisia, Senegal, Denmark, Poland, and Serbia failed to qualify. This was also the most recent World Cup finals to feature every prior winning team.
The 32 participating teams were drawn into eight groups. In preparation for this, the teams were organised into four pots with the sevenhighest-ranked teams joining host nationBrazil in the seeded pot.[22] As with the previous tournaments, FIFA aimed to create groups which maximised geographic separation and therefore the unseeded teams were arranged into pots based on geographic considerations.[23][24] Under the draw procedure, one randomly drawn team – Italy – was firstly relocated from Pot 4 to Pot 2 to create four equal pots of eight teams.[25]
In March 2013, FIFA published a list of 52 prospective referees, each paired, on the basis of nationality, with twoassistant referees, from all six football confederations for the tournament. On 14 January 2014, the FIFA Referees Committee appointed 25 referee trios and eight support duos representing 43 countries for the tournament.[26][27]Yuichi Nishimura fromJapan acted as referee in the opening match whereasNicola Rizzoli fromItaly acted as referee in the final.[28][29]
As with the2010 tournament, each team's squad consisted of 23 players (three of whom must be goalkeepers). Each participating national association had to confirm their final 23-player squad no later than 10 days before the start of the tournament.[30] Teams were permitted to make late replacements in the event of serious injury, at any time up to 24 hours before their first game.[30] During a match, all remaining squad members not named in the starting team were available to be one of the three permitted substitutions (provided the player was not serving a suspension).[30]
12 venues (seven new and five renovated) in twelve cities were selected for the tournament. The venues covered all the mainregions of Brazil and created more evenly distributed hosting than the1950 finals in Brazil.[31] Consequently, the tournament required long-distance travel for teams.[32] During the World Cup, Brazilian cities were also home to the participating teams at32 separate base camps,[33] as well as stagingofficial fan fests where supporters could view the games.[34]
The most used stadiums were the Maracanã and Brasília, which hosted seven matches each. The least-used venues were in Cuiabá, Manaus, Natal, and Curitiba, which hosted four matches each; as the four smallest stadiums in use at the tournament, they did not host any knockout round matches.[35]
Base camps were used by the 32 national squads to stay and train before and during the World Cup tournament. On 31 January 2014, FIFA announced the base camps for each participating team,[33] having earlier circulated a brochure of 84 prospective locations.[36] Most teams opted to stay in theSoutheast Region of Brazil, with only eight teams choosing other regions; five teams (Croatia, Germany, Ghana, Greece and Switzerland) opted to stay in theNortheast Region and three teams (Ecuador, South Korea and Spain) opted to stay in theSouth Region. None opted to stay in theNorth Region or theCentral-West Region.[37]Campo Bahia, the base camp of the eventual champion Germany, attracted much interest.[38]
For a third consecutive World Cup tournament, FIFA stagedFIFA Fan Fests in each of the 12 host cities throughout the competition. Prominent examples were theCopacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, which already held a Fan Fest in 2010, andSão Paulo's Vale do Anhangabaú.[39][40] The first official event took place onIracema Beach, inFortaleza, on 8 June 2014.[41]
In order to avoidghost goals, the 2014 World Cup introducedgoal-line technology following successful trials at, among other competitions, the2013 Confederations Cup. The chosenGoal Control system featured 14 high speed cameras, 7 directed to each of the goals. Data were sent to the central image-processing centre, where a virtual representation of the ball was output on a widescreen to confirm the goal. The referee was equipped with a watch which vibrated and displayed a signal upon a goal.[42][43][44] France's second goal in theirgroup game against Honduras was the first time goal-line technology was needed to confirm that a goal should be given.[45]
Following successful trials,[nb 3] FIFA approved the use ofvanishing spray by the referees for the first time at a World Cup Finals. The water-based spray, which disappears within minutes of application, can be used to mark a ten-yard line for the defending team during afree kick and also to draw where the ball is to be placed for a free kick.[46]
TheAdidas Brazuca was the officialmatch ball of the 2014 FIFA World Cup[47][48][49][50] and was supplied byForward Sports ofSialkot, Pakistan.[47] Adidas created a new design of ball after criticisms of theAdidas Jabulani used in theprevious World Cup. The number of panels was reduced to six, with the panels being thermally bonded. This created a ball with increased consistency and aerodynamics compared to its predecessor. Furthermore, Adidas underwent an extensive testing process lasting more than two years to produce a ball that would meet the approval of football professionals.
Due to the relatively high ambient temperatures in Brazil, particularly at the northern venues, cooling breaks for the players were introduced.[51] Breaks could take place at the referee's discretion after the 30th minute of each half if theWet Bulb Globe Temperature exceeded 32 °C (90 °F); the breaks would last 3 minutes, with this time made up by an extended period of stoppage time at the end of the half.
Thebiological passport was introduced in the FIFA World Cup starting in 2014.Blood andurine samples collected from all players before the competition, and from two players per team per match, were analysed by theSwiss Laboratory for Doping Analyses.[57] FIFA reported that 91.5% of the players taking part in the tournament were tested before the start of the competition and none tested positive.[58] However, FIFA was criticised for how it conducted doping tests.[59][60]
The first round, or group stage, was a competition between the 32 teams divided among eight groups of four, where each group engaged in around-robin tournament within itself. The two highest ranked teams in each group advanced to the knockout stage.[30] Teams were awarded three points for a win and one for a draw. When comparing teams in a group over-all result came before head-to-head.
Tie-breaking criteria for group play
The ranking of teams in each group was based on the following criteria:
Number of points obtained in matches between tied teams
Goal difference in matches between tied teams
Number of goals scored in matches between tied teams
Drawing of lots
In theknockout stage there were four rounds (round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals, and the final), with each eliminating the losers. The two semi-final losers competed in a third place play-off. For any match in the knockout stage, a draw after 90 minutes of regulation time was followed by two 15 minute periods ofextra time to determine a winner. If the teams were still tied, apenalty shoot-out was held to determine a winner.[30]
The match schedule was announced on 20 October 2011[61] with the kick-off times being confirmed on 27 September 2012;[62] after the final draw, the kick-off times of seven matches were adjusted by FIFA.[63] The competition was organised so that teams that played each other in the group stage could not meet again during the knockout phase until the final (or the 3rd place match).[30]The group stage began on 12 June, with the host nation competing in the opening game as has been the format since the 2006 tournament. The opening game was preceded by anopening ceremony that began at 15:15 local time.[64]
On 12 June 2014, the 20th edition of theFIFA World Cup began with the opening ceremony atArena de São Paulo,São Paulo, Brazil. The event saw 660 dancers take to the stadium and perform in a ceremony which celebrated the nature of the country and its love of football. Following the dancers native singerClaudia Leitte emerged on centre stage to perform for the crowd. She was later joined by Cuban-American rapperPitbull, and American singerJennifer Lopez to perform the tournament's official song "We Are One (Ole Ola)" which had been released as an official single on 8 April 2014. Following the ceremony, the opening match was played, which saw the hosts come from behind to beat Croatia 3–1.[65][66][67]
The group stage of the cup took place inBrazil from 12 June 2014 to 26 June 2014: each team played three games. The group stage was notable for a scarcity of draws and a large number of goals. The first drawn (and goalless) match did not occur until the 13th match of the tournament, between Iran and Nigeria: a drought longer than any World Cup since 1930.[68] The group stage produced a total of 136 goals (an average of 2.83 goals per match), nine fewer than were scored during the entire 2010 tournament.[69] This is the largest number of goals in the group stage since the 32-team system was implemented in 1998[70] and the largest average in a group stage since 1958.[71] World Cup holders Spain were eliminated after only two games, the quickest exit for the defending champions since Italy's from the1950 tournament.[72] Spain also became the fourth nation to be eliminated in the first round while holding the World Cup crown, the first one being Italy in 1950 (and again in 2010), Brazil in 1966, and France in 2002.[73] For the first time, two teams from Africa advanced to the second round, a feat that would be repeated in the2022 tournament.
All the group winners advanced into the quarter-finals. They included four teams from UEFA, three from CONMEBOL, and one from CONCACAF. Of the eight matches, five required extra-time, and two of theserequired penalty shoot-outs; this was the first time penalty shoot-outs occurred in more than one game in a round of 16.[nb 4] The goal average per game in the round of 16 was 2.25, a drop of 0.58 goals per game from the group stage.[79] The eight teams to win in the round of 16 included four former champions (Brazil, Germany, Argentina and France), a three-time runner-up (Netherlands), and two first-time quarter-finalists (Colombia and Costa Rica).[80][81] Belgium reached the quarter-finals for the first time since 1986.[82]
With a 1–0 victory over France, Germany set a World Cup record with four consecutive semi-final appearances. Brazil beat Colombia 2–1, but Brazil'sNeymar was injured and missed the rest of the competition. Argentina reached the final four for the first time since 1990 after a 1–0 win over Belgium. The Netherlands reached the semi-finals for the second consecutive tournament, after overcoming Costa Rica in apenalty shoot-out following a 0–0 draw at the end of extra time, with goalkeeperTim Krul having been substituted on for the shoot-out and saving two penalties.
Germany qualified for the final for the eighth time with a historic 7–1 win over Brazil – the biggest defeat in Brazilian football since 1920.Miroslav Klose's goal in this match was his 16th throughout all World Cups, breaking therecord he had previously shared withRonaldo.[83] Klose set another record by becoming the first player to appear in four World Cup semi-finals.[84] Argentina reached their first final since 1990, and their fifth overall, after overcoming the Netherlands in apenalty shoot-out following a 0–0 draw at the end of extra time.
The Netherlands defeated Brazil 3–0 to secure third place, the first for the Dutch team in their history. Overall, Brazil conceded 14 goals in the tournament; this was the most by a team at any single World Cup since 1986, and the most by a host nation in history, although their fourth-place finish still represented Brazil's best result in a World Cup since their last win in 2002.[85]
This marked the first time that teams from the same continent had won three consecutive World Cups (following Italy in2006 and Spain in2010). It was also the first time that a European nation had won the World Cup in the Americas. On aggregate Europe then had eleven victories, to South America's nine.
In total, 171 goals were scored by a record 121 players, with five credited asown goals. Goals scored frompenalty shoot-outs are not counted.James Rodríguez was awarded theGolden Boot for scoring six goals, the first time that a Colombian player received the award.[86][87]
The most notable disciplinary case was that of Uruguayan strikerLuis Suárez, who was suspended for nine international matches and banned from taking part in any football-related activity (including entering any stadium) for four months, following abiting incident on Italian defenderGiorgio Chiellini. He was also finedCHF100,000.[89][90][91] After an appeal to theCourt of Arbitration for Sport, Suárez was later allowed to participate in training and friendly matches with new clubBarcelona.[92]
The members of the Technical Study Group, the committee that decided which players won the awards, were led by FIFA's head of the Technical DivisionJean-Paul Brigger and featured:[99]
There were changes to the voting procedure for awards for the 2014 edition: while in 2010 accredited media were allowed to vote for the Golden Ball award,[100] in 2014 only the Technical Study Group could select the outcome.[101]
The total prize money on offer for the tournament was confirmed by FIFA asUS$576 million (including payments of $70 million to domestic clubs and $100 million as player insurances), a 37 percent increase from the amountallocated in the 2010 tournament. Before the tournament, each of the 32 entrants received $1.5 million for preparation costs. At the tournament, the prize money was distributed as follows:[105]
$8 million – To each team eliminated at thegroup stage (16 teams)
$9 million – To each team eliminated in theround of 16 (8 teams)
$14 million – To each team eliminated in thequarter-finals (4 teams)
Per statistical convention in football, matches decided inextra time are counted as wins and losses, while matches decided bypenalty shoot-outs are counted as draws.[106]
Result of countries participating in the 2014 FIFA World Cup
The Estádio Nacional inBrasília during its rebuild. The project was completed at a cost of US$900 million, against an original budget of US$300 million, making the stadium the second-most expensive football stadium in the world after England'sWembley Stadium.
Costs of the tournament totalled $11.6 billion,[107] making it the most expensive World Cup to date,[108] until surpassed by2018 FIFA World Cup which cost an estimated $14.2 billion.[107] FIFA was expected to spend US$2 billion on staging the finals,[109] with its greatest single expense being theUS$576 million prize money pot.[105]
Although organisers originally estimated costs of US$1.1 billion,[110] a reported US$3.6 billion was ultimately spent on stadium works.[111][112] Five of the chosen host cities had brand new venues built specifically for the World Cup, while theEstádio Nacional Mané Garrincha in the capitalBrasília was demolished and rebuilt, with the remaining six being extensively renovated.[113]
An additional R$3 billion (US$1.3 billion, €960 million, £780 million at June 2014 rates) was earmarked by the Brazilian government for investment in infrastructure works and projects for use during the 2014 World Cup and beyond.[114] However, the failed completion of many of the proposed works provoked discontent among some Brazilians.[115][116][117]
The Brazilian government pledged US$900 million to be invested into security forces and that the tournament would be "one of the most protected sports events in history."[118]
The marketing of the 2014 FIFA World Cup included sale of tickets, support from sponsors and promotion through events that utilise the symbols andsongs of the tournament. Popular merchandise included items featuring theofficial mascot as well as anofficial video game that has been developed byEA Sports.[119] As a partner of theGerman Football Association, part of German major airlineLufthansa's fleet was branded "Fanhansa" for the time being. Branded planes flew the Germany national team, media representatives and football fans to Brazil.[120]
For a fourth consecutive FIFA World Cup Finals, the coverage was provided by HBS (Host Broadcast Services), a subsidiary ofInfront Sports & Media.[126]Sony was selected as the official equipment provider and built 12 bespokehigh definition production 40-foot-long containers, one for each tournament venue, to house the extensive amount of equipment required.[127][128] Each match utilised 37 standard camera plans, including Aerial and Cablecam, two Ultramotion cameras and dedicated cameras for interviews.[128]The official tournament film, as well as three matches,[nb 5] will be filmed withultra high definition technology (4K resolution), following a successful trial at the2013 FIFA Confederations Cup.[129]
The broadcasting rights – covering television, radio, internet and mobile coverage – for the tournament were sold to media companies in each individual territory either directly by FIFA, or through licensed companies or organisations such as theEuropean Broadcasting Union,Organización de Televisión Iberoamericana, International Media Content,Dentsu and RS International Broadcasting & Sports Management.[130] The sale of these rights accounted for an estimated 60% of FIFA's income from staging a World Cup.[131] The International Broadcast Centre was situated at theRiocentro in theBarra da Tijuca neighbourhood of Rio de Janeiro.[132][133]
Worldwide, several games qualified as the most-watched sporting events in their country in 2014, including 42.9 million people in Brazil for the opening game between Brazil and Croatia, the 34.1 million in Japan who saw their team play Ivory Coast, and 34.7 million in Germany who saw their national team win the World Cup against Argentina,[134] while the 24.7 million viewers during the game between the US and Portugal is joint with the2010 final as the most-watched football game in the United States.[135] According to FIFA, over 1 billion people tuned in worldwide to watch thefinal between Germany and Argentina.[136]
The 2014 FIFA World Cup generated various controversies, including demonstrations, some of which took place even before the tournament started. Furthermore, there were various issues with safety, including the death of eight workers and a fire during construction, breaches into stadiums, an unstable makeshift staircase at theMaracanã Stadium, amonorail collapse, and thecollapse of an unfinished overpass inBelo Horizonte.[137][138][139][140][141] The houses of thousands of families living inRio de Janeiro’sslums were cleared for redevelopments for the World Cup in spite of protests and resistance. Favela do Metrô, near the Maracanã Stadium, was completely destroyed as a result, having previously housed 700 families in 2010.[142][143][144]
Prior to the opening ceremony of the2013 FIFA Confederations Cup staged in Brazil, demonstrations took place outsidethe venue, organised by people unhappy with the amount of public money spent to enable the hosting of the FIFA World Cup.[145] Both theBrazilian presidentDilma Rousseff and FIFA presidentSepp Blatter were heavily booed as they were announced to give their speeches at the 2013 tournament's opening,[146] which resulted in FIFA announcing that the2014 FIFA World Cup opening ceremony would not feature any speeches.[147] Further protests took place during the Confederations Cup as well as prior to and during the World Cup.[148][149][150][151][152]
At theGroup B match betweenSpain andChile, around 100 Chilean supporters who had gathered outsideMaracanã Stadium forced their way into the stadium and caused damage to the media centre. Military police reported that 85 Chileans were detained during the events, while others reached the stands. Earlier, about 20 Argentinians made a similar breach during Argentina'sGroup F game against Bosnia and Herzegovina at the same stadium.[153][154]
During the tournament, FIFA received significant criticism for the way head injuries are handled during matches. Two incidents in particular attracted the most attention. First, in a group stage match, after Uruguayan defenderÁlvaro Pereira received a blow to the head, he lay unconscious.[157] The Uruguayan doctor signaled for the player to be substituted, but he returned to the match. The incident drew criticism from the professional players' union FIFPro, and from Michel D'Hooghe, a member of the FIFA executive board and chairman of its medical committee.[158]
Second, in the Final, German midfielderChristoph Kramer received a blow to the head from a collision in the 14th minute, but returned to the match before collapsing in the 31st minute. During that time, Kramer was disoriented and confused, and asked the refereeNicola Rizzoli whether the match he was playing was in the World Cup Final.[159]
^Those matches scheduled to be filmed in ultra high definition were one match from the round of 16 (on 28 June), one quarter-final (on 4 July) and the final
^The average attendance at this stadium was 74,081.
^The average attendance at this stadium was 68,317.
^The average attendance at this stadium was 62,599.
^The average attendance at this stadium was 59,483.
^The average attendance at this stadium was 57,558.
^The average attendance at this stadium was 50,112.
^The average attendance at this stadium was 42,994.
^The average attendance at this stadium was 40,976.
^The average attendance at this stadium was 39,679.
^The average attendance at this stadium was 40,057.
^The average attendance at this stadium was 39,542.
^The average attendance at this stadium was 39,248.
^early), Tom Lutz (very; Bryant (early), Tom; Harris (then), Paul Doyle Gregg Bakowski(for a bit) Daniel; Steinberg(later), Jacob (12 June 2014)."World Cup 2014 opening ceremony – as it happened".The Guardian.Archived from the original on 12 June 2014. Retrieved7 April 2020 – via www.theguardian.com.
^"Castrol Index Top 11".FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. Archived fromthe original on 19 December 2014. Retrieved20 July 2014.
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