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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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
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.
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
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 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)
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
