WORLD CUP 2014 : GROUP H

GROUP H
Belgium, Algeria, Russia, South Korea

17 June 2014
Belgium v Algeria, Estadio Mineirao, Belo Horizonte, 17:00 (ITV)
17 June 2014
Russia v South Korea, Arena Pantanal, Cuiaba, 23:00 (BBC)
22 June 2014
Belgium v Russia, Estadio do Maracana, Rio de Janeiro, 17:00 (BBC)
22 June 2014
South Korea v Algeria, Estadio Beira-Rio, Porto Alegre, 20:00 (ITV)
26 June 2014
South Korea v Belgium, Arena de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, 21:00 (ITV)
26 June 2014
Algeria v Russia, Arena da Baixada, Curitiba, 21:00 (ITV)

WORLD CUP 2014 : GROUP G

GROUP G
Germany, Portugal, Ghana, United States

16 June 2014
Germany v Portugal, Arena Fonte Nova, Salvador, 17:00 (ITV)
16 June 2014
Ghana v United States, Arena das Dunas, Natal, 23:00 (BBC)
21 June 2014
Germany v Ghana, Estadio Castelao, Fortaleza, 20:00 (BBC)
 
22 June 2014
United States v Portugal, Arena Amazonia, Manaus, 23:00 (BBC)
26 June 2014
United States v Germany, Arena Pernambuco, Recife, 17:00 (BBC)
26 June 2014
Portugal v Ghana, Estadio Nacional, Brasilia, 17:00 (BBC)

WORLD CUP 2014 : GROUP F

GROUP F
Argentina, Bosnia-Hercegovina, Iran, Nigeria

15 June 2014
Argentina v Bosnia-Hercegovina, Estadio do Maracana, Rio de Janeiro, 23:00 (BBC)
16 June 2014
Iran v Nigeria, Arena da Baixada, Curitiba, 20:00 (BBC)
21 June 2014 
 
Argentina v Iran, Estadio Mineirao, Belo Horizonte, 17:00 (ITV)
21 June 2014
Nigeria v Bosnia-Hercegovina, Arena Pantanal, Cuiaba, 23:00 (BBC)
25 June 2014
Nigeria v Argentina, Estadio Beira-Rio, Porto Alegre, 17:00 (ITV)
25 June 2014
Bosnia-Hercegovina v Iran, Arena Fonte Nova, Salvador, 17:00 (ITV)

WORLD CUP 2014: GROUP E

GROUP E
Switzerland, Ecuador, France, Honduras

15 June 2014
Switzerland v Ecuador, Estadio Nacional, Brasilia, 17:00 (ITV)
15 June 2014 
 
France v Honduras, Estadio Beira-Rio, Porto Alegre, 20:00 (BBC)
20 June 2014
Switzerland v France, Arena Fonte Nova, Salvador, 20:00 (ITV)
20 June 2014
Honduras v Ecuador, Arena da Baixada, Curitiba, 23:00 (ITV)
25 June 2014
Honduras v Switzerland, Arena Amazonia, Manaus, 21:00 (BBC)
25 June 2014
Ecuador v France, Estadio do Maracana, Rio de Janeiro, 21:00 (BBC)

WORLD CUP 2014 : GROUP D

GROUP D
Uruguay, Costa Rica, England, Italy


14 June 2014
Uruguay v Costa Rica, Estadio Castelao, Fortaleza, 20:00 (ITV)
14 June 2014
England v Italy, Arena Amazonia, Manaus, 23:00 (BBC)
19 June 2014 
 
Uruguay v England , Arena de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, 20:00 (ITV)
20 June 2014
Italy v Costa Rica, Arena Pernambuco, Recife, 17:00 (BBC)
24 June 2014
Italy v Uruguay, Arena das Dunas, Natal, 17:00 (ITV)
24 June 2014
Costa Rica v England, Estadio Mineirao, Belo Horizonte, 17:00 (ITV)

WORLD CUP 2014: GROUP C

GROUP C
Colombia, Greece, Ivory Coast, Japan


14 June 2014
Colombia v Greece, Estadio Mineirao, Belo Horizonte, 17:00 (BBC)
15 June 2014
Ivory Coast v Japan, Arena Pernambuco, Recife, 02:00 (ITV)
19 June 2014 
 
Colombia v Ivory Coast, Estadio Nacional, Brasilia, 17:00 (BBC)
19 June 2014
Japan v Greece, Arena das Dunas, Natal, 23:00 (BBC)
24 June 2014
Japan v Colombia, Arena Pantanal, Cuiaba, 21:00 (BBC)
24 June 2014
Greece v Ivory Coast, Estadio Castelao, Fortaleza, 21:00 (BBC)

WORLD CUP 2014: GROUP B

GROUP B
Spain, Netherlands, Chile, Australia
 
13 June 2014
Spain v Netherlands, Arena Fonte Nova, Salvador, 20:00 (BBC)
13 June 2014
Chile v Australia, Arena Pantanal, Cuiaba, 23:00 (ITV)
18 June 2014 
 
Spain v Chile, Estadio do Maracana, Rio de Janeiro, 20:00 (BBC)
18 June 2014
Australia v Netherlands, Estadio Beira-Rio, Porto Alegre, 17:00 (ITV)
23 June 2014
Australia v Spain, Arena da Baixada, Curitiba, 17:00 (ITV)
23 June 2014
Netherlands v Chile, Arena de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, 17:00 (ITV)

WORLD CUP 2014 : GROUP A



 GROUP A
Brazil, Croatia, Mexico, Cameroon
 
12 June 2014
Brazil v Croatia, Arena de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, 21:00 (ITV)
 
13 June 2014
Mexico v Cameroon, Arena das Dunas, Natal, 17:00 (ITV)
 
17 June 2014
Brazil v Mexico, Estadio Castelao, Fortaleza, 20:00 (BBC)
 
18 June 2014
Cameroon v Croatia, Arena Amazonia, Manaus, 23:00 (ITV)
 
23 June 2014
Cameroon v Brazil, Estadio Nacional, Brasilia, 21:00 (ITV)
 
23 June 2014
Croatia v Mexico, Arena Pernambuco, Recife, 21:00 (ITV)

JERMANY WORLD CUP SQUAD


Germany are one of the big favourites and I think they are the only European team other than Spain who can win the World Cup next summer.
German club football is on a high and producing top-class talent. The national team's attacking midfield options are incredible.
But conditions are different in South America: the grass is longer and thicker, and the heat and humidity can be an issue.
Like all of the European teams, Germany will need to adapt quickly to excel.

How do they play?

Germany's typical starting XI
Germany's typical starting XI

Style & formation: Blessed with far more flair than many Germany sides of the past, their fluid 4-2-3-1 is underpinned by Bastian Schweinsteiger and the currently injured Sami Khedira anchoring the side from the base of midfield.
Ahead of them lies creative fulcrum Mesut Ozil, who is usually flanked by the dangerous Marco Reus and Thomas Muller.
Strengths: They have cover in virtually every position and an extraordinary variety of forward-thinking midfielders. Try picking three from Ozil, Reus, Muller, Andre Schurrle, Julian Draxler, Mario Goetze, Toni Kroos, Sidney Sam and Lukas Podolski.
Weaknesses: German teams traditionally have a reliable defence but the current one has creaked of late and they conceded seven goals in two qualifiers against Sweden. Per Mertesacker is approaching 100 caps but he has a perceived lack of pace and can be vulnerable to balls over the top.
The evergreen Miroslav Klose is just one goal shy of Ronaldo's all-time World Cup finals tally of 15, but he will be 36 by the time the tournament starts and a reliable replacement has yet to be found.
Bastian Schweinsteiger

Key player

Bastian Schweinsteiger's glittering CV has one glaring omission - international silverware - and it's something the 29-year-old is desperate to rectify. The winger-turned-central midfielder has been described as the "brain" of the national team by coach Joachim Low, and he is no less influential at Bayern Munich.

One to watch

Earmarked for greatness, Julian Draxler became Schalke's youngest-ever player when he made his debut aged 17 back in 2011. Just over a year later, the gifted playmaker was called up to the preliminary senior squad for Euro 2012. Ten Bundesliga goals last season shows why Arsenal are reportedly interested.

The boss

At the helm since 2006, Joachim Low signed a new contract until 2016 earlier this year but the pressure is on to win a trophy after some agonising near misses. His win percentage of 68% is the highest of any Germany manager.

How they qualified
Germany topped Group C with an unbeaten record, sealing automatic qualification for the 2014 FIFA World Cup™ with nine victories from ten fixtures. Furthermore, coach Joachim Low’s charges hit 36 goals along the way, the most of any side in European zone qualifying. The three-time world champions’ eye-catching attacking displays have thrilled their fans and demonstrated why they are among the favourites to take the title in Brazil.

However, there is still plenty of room for improvement. The 4-4 draw with Sweden in Berlin is a painful memory, especially after Germany had led 4-0 lead. “We still have work to do before the World Cup,” commented Low. “I see two main areas to focus on: we need to stabilise both our defence and our play in the final third.” 

FIFA World Cup finals history
Germany lie third in the all-time world football ranking with three FIFA World Cup triumphs, behind only Brazil on five and Italy on four. The 1954 team won the tournament in Switzerland as rank outsiders, in what became known as the Miracle of Berne. Franz Beckenbauer lifted the trophy on home soil in 1974, and Lothar Matthaus followed suit at Italy 1990.

The Germans have also finished runners-up four times, in 1966, 1982, 1986 and 2002, and came third on four occasions, in 1934 and 1970, and at the last two finals in 2006 and 2010. No other team has played more matches (99) or scored more goals (222) at the FIFA World Cup finals. 

The key players
Keeper Manuel Neuer is the undisputed No1, while many experts believe he is the real deal, equipped not only to follow in the footsteps of Oliver Kahn and Jens Lehmann, but also to develop into one of the best in the world. Full-back Philipp Lahm and schemer Bastian Schweinsteiger earned their international spurs long ago: each has reached 100 caps but is still at their peak.

The next generation appears immensely promising too. Former Real Madrid starlet Mesut Ozil, who now laces his boots at Arsenal was just 21 when he thrilled the crowds at the 2010 FIFA World Cup and is a gifted creative player with passing ability to match the best in the world. Up front, Thomas Muller won the adidas Golden Boot and was named Best Young Player at the 2010 finals, while youngsters Marco Reus, Andre Schurrle, Toni Kroos and Mario Gotze keep getting better and better . 

Coach: Joachim Low

Best performances in a FIFA competition:
 FIFA World Cup Switzerland 1954, Germany 1974, Italy 1990 (Winners), FIFA U-20 World Cup Australia 1981 (Winners)

Former stars: Franz Beckenbauer, Gerd Müller, Lothar Matthaus

ARGENTINA WORLD CUP SQUAD

 

Projected Starting Lineup
Formation: 4-3-3
GK: Sergio Romero
RB: Pablo Zabaleta
CB: Federico Fernandez
CB: Ezequiel Garay
LB: Marcos Rojo
RM: Lucas Biglia
CM: Javier Mascherano
LM: Angel di Maria
RF: Lionel Messi
CF: Gonzalo Higuain
LF: Sergio Aguero


Projected Reserves
GK: Mariano Andujar, Agustin Orion
D: Hugo Campagnaro, Jose Basanta, Fabricio Coloccini
M: Ever Banega, Fernando Gago, Augusto Fernandez
F: Rodrigo Palacio, Ezequiel Lavezzi, Erik Lamela, Javier Pastore

Other Possibilities
GK: Oscar Ustari
D: Gino Peruzzi, Christian Ansaldi, Sebastian Dominguez, Nicolas Otamendi, Walter Samuel
M: Maxi Rodriguez, Ricardo Alvarez, Rodrigo Brana, Jose Sosa
F: Carlos Tevez, Diego Milito

How they qualified
After a 4-1 win against Chile to begin their FIFA World Cup™ qualifying campaign, Argentina then stumbled against Venezuela and drew 1-1 at home to Bolivia, which raised doubts as to whether coach Alejandro Sabella, who took over after Copa America 2011, was up to the task. La Albiceleste, however, got back on track with 2-1 win over Colombia in Barranquilla, which began Argentina's 14-match unbeaten run through the remainder of qualifying, where they finished atop the South American table. Argentina tallied 35 goals while only surrendering 15 on the way to winning the preliminary competition for the third time. The rest of South America could only chase Argentina throughout the final qualifying fixtures. 


FIFA World Cup finals history
Argentina have contested four FIFA World Cup Finals in all, the first of them at the inaugural tournament, Uruguay 1930, when they went down 4-2 to the host nation. Respective contributions from Mario Kempes and Diego Maradona inspired them to the biggest prize in football on home soil in 1978 and again at Mexico 1986, while their last showpiece appearance came at Italy 1990, when they were denied by an Andreas Brehme penalty. Since then they have been unable to progress beyond the quarter-finals. 


The key players
With the landmark achievement of claiming four consecutive FIFA Ballon d'Ors (2009-2012), Lionel Messi in the undisputed leader of the Argentina national team and a multiple-trophy winner with Barcelona. Breaking all kind of goal-records, La Pulga is now looking to achieve greatness with his country after failing, somewhat surprisingly, to find the back of the net at South Africa 2010. Supporting him will be an all-star cast featuring Carlos Tevez, Javier Mascherano and Angel Di Maria, all of them on top of their game with some of Europe’s leading clubs.


Coach: Alejandro Sabella

Best performances in a FIFA competition: 
FIFA World Cup Argentina 1978, Mexico 1986 (Winners), FIFA U-20 World Cup Japan 1979, Qatar 1995, Malaysia 1997, Argentina 2001, Netherlands 2005, Canada 2007 (Winners), FIFA Confederations Cup Saudi Arabia 1992 (Winners), Men’s Olympic Football Tournament Athens 2004, Beijing 2008 (Winners)  
Former stars: Daniel Passarella, Diego Maradona, Gabriel Batistuta, Mario Kempes

BRAZIL WORLD CUP 2014

 

Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari has confirmed his 23-man squad for World Cup 2014, choosing most of the players who won last year's Confederations Cup.
Scolari's list includes 16 players who were in the team that won last year's warm-up tournament by beating world champion Spain in the final.
Kaka and Robinho - the stars from the 2010 World Cup - still had hopes of playing in the tournament at home but were left off the list.
Seven alternates will be announced in the coming days.
This year, Brazil is in Group A with Croatia, Mexico and Cameroon. It will open against Croatia on June 12 in Sao Paulo.

Squad:
Goalkeepers: Julio Cesar (Toronto FC), Jefferson (Botafogo), Victor (Atletico Mineiro)

Defenders: David Luiz (Chelsea), Dante (Bayern Munich), Thiago Silva (Paris Saint-Germain), Henrique (Napoli), Maicon (Roma), Dani Alves (Barcelona), Marcelo (Real Madrid), Maxwell (Paris Saint-Germain)

Midfielders: Luiz Gustavo (Wolfsburg), Paulinho (Tottenham), Fernandinho (ManchesterCity), Ramires (Chelsea), Oscar (Chelsea), Willian (Chelsea), Hernanes (InterMilan)

Strikers: Hulk (Zenit St. Petersburg), Bernard (Shakhtar Donetsk), Neymar (Barcelona), Jo (Atletico Mineiro), Fred (Fluminense)



FIFA World Cup finals history
So demanding are the Brazilian faithful, even a Seleção squad that finishes runners-up at a FIFA World Cup finals cannot be sure what kind of reception they will get on their return home. The only nation to have taken part in every edition of the elite competition, Brazil have lifted the coveted Trophy on a record five occasions (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994 and 2002), finished in second place twice (1950 and 1998) and taken the last spot on the podium at another two editions (1938 and 1978). 


The current crop
Given they are set to host the next FIFA World Cup, Brazil have been spared the rigours of South American Zone qualifying. With that in mind, and fully aware of the enormous burden of expectation sure to surround A Verde e Amarelo in 2014, the national set-up have put in place an intense preparatory process featuring friendly clashes against fellow members of the global elite. This approach has been underlined by meetings with opponents of the calibre of Argentina, France, USA and the Netherlands since South Africa 2010. However, in their first major test on the road to 2014, the Brazil crashed out of the 2011 Copa America at the quarter-final stage, eliminated by Paraguay. 


The key players
Striker Neymar is already being hailed as a man capable of playing a key role for the five-time world champions come Brazil 2014. Currently among the supporting cast in attack is the youngster’s former Santos team-mate Robinho, while Barcelona’s Dani Alves is a lung-bursting presence on the flank. Between the sticks, veteran goalkeeper Julio Cesar exudes confidence and security to the rest of the backline.


Coach: Luiz Felipe Scolari

Best performances in a FIFA competition: 
FIFA World Cup Sweden 1958, Chile 1962, Mexico 1970, USA 1994, Korea/Japan 2002 (Winners), FIFA U-20 World Cup Mexico 1983, USSR 1985, Australia 1993, UAE 2003 (Winners), FIFA U-17 World Cup Egypt 1997, New Zealand 1999, Finland 2003 (Winners), FIFA Confederations Cup Saudi Arabia 1997, Germany 2005, South Africa 2009 (Winners)

Former stars: Garrincha, Pele, Ronaldo