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 tournamentwithin 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
In the knockout 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 of extra time to determine a winner. If the teams were still tied, a penalty 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 an opening ceremony that began at 15:15 local time.[64]
On 12 June 2014, the 20th edition of the FIFA World Cup began with the opening ceremony at Arena 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 singer Claudia Leitte emerged on centre stage to perform for the crowd. She was later joined by Cuban-American rapper Pitbull, and American singer Jennifer 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 in Brazil 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 the 1950 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 the 2022 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 these required penalty shoot-outs; this was the first time penalty shoot-outs occurred in more than one game in a round of 16.[nb 5] 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's Neymar 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 a penalty shoot-out following a 0–0 draw at the end of extra time, with goalkeeper Tim Krul having been substituted on for the shoot-out and saving two penalties.
Brazil (H)
Mexico
Croatia
Cameroon
Netherlands
Chile
Spain
Australia
Colombia
Greece
Ivory Coast
Japan
Costa Rica
Uruguay
Italy
England
France
Switzerland
Ecuador
Honduras
Argentina
Nigeria
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Iran
Germany
United States
Portugal
Ghana
Belgium
Algeria
Russia
South Korea
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