Brazil 2014: All you need to know about the World Cup

The time has come for the FIFA World Cup and here at Fact Time we give you a post with the most relevant and important information about this event. Whether you are soccer fanatic that is just anxious for the matches to start or just a casual aficionado of the sport, here we set the stage for you to know some facts about this cup.

Did you know?

The first ever FIFA World Cup took place in Uruguay from 13 July to 30 July 1930. FIFA, football’s international governing body, selected Uruguay as host nation, as the Uruguay national football team had successfully retained their football title at the 1928 Summer Olympics.


Thirteen teams entered the tournament (seven from South America, four from Europe, and two from North America). The teams were divided into four groups, with the winner of each group progressing to the semi-finals. Argentina, Uruguay, United States and Yugoslavia each won their respective groups to qualify for the semi-finals. In the final, Uruguay defeated Argentina 4–2 and became the first nation to win the World Cup.

Where and when does it take place?

The World Cup will take place in Brazil from the 12 of June to the 13 of July. This is the second time that this country becomes the host country for the World Cup: the first one was in 1950.

How many countries participate in this event?

There are a total of 32 countries: Spain, Germany, Portugal, Brazil, Colombia, Uruguay, Argentina, Switzerland, Italy, Greece, England, Belgium, Chile, USA, Holland, France, Russia, Mexico, Croatia, Ivory Coast, Bosnia, Algeria, Ecuador, Honduras, Costa Rica, Iran, Ghana, Nigeria, Japan, Cameroon, South Korea, and Australia.

Where are the host cities for the games?

There are 12: Brasilia, Recife, Salvador, Natal, Manaus, Belo Horizonte, Río de Janeiro, San Pablo, Porto Alegre, Cuiaba, Curitiba, and Fortaleza.

What is the format of the competition?

The World Cup divides the countries into 8 groups of four teams each. First, each team in the same group will have to play against each other. The victory counts as three points, the tie as one, and the defect as zero. Only the two teams with the higher number of points go to the next round. These two teams go to the round of 16 and play against other winning teams from other groups. If a team wins this round, they automatically go to quarterfinals and later, if the win again, they go to the semi-finals. All matches from round of 16 to the final are considered direct elimination games. That means that if one of the team looses, they are automatically out of the tournament. If a game ends in a tie after 90 minutes of playing time, the teams will play an additional 30 minutes of extra time, and if they still tie after that, they will have to go to penalties. The winners of the semifinal will play the final and the losers will fight for the third place in the tournament.

What is the prize?

The country that wins the World Cup the FIFA World Cup Trophy during a ceremony after the final. The winning team also receives a monetary prize of 35 million dollars. The teams that finish second and third receive between 25 and 23 millions respectively. Also, the three best teams will win 50 medals each made of gold, silver, and bronze depending on their standing.

What is the official ball and mascot?

The official ball is called Brazuca and is designed by Adidas. The mascot is an armadillo named Fuleco, who was chosen by a voting pull in FIFA’s official website.

What is the official song?

It is called “We are one” and is sung by Jennifer Lopez, Pitbull, and Claudia Leitt.

Expertise Statement

Today, soccer is one of the most international sports that we can find in the world and the one that has influenced my life ever since I was born. Some would say that my experience with this sport has been quite common and intensive. Like every other kid in Spain, I started playing and watching soccer at a very young age. Every day after class, my friends and I would gather at the park and play a game or two. Then, as we grew older, some decided to quit playing while others (like me) decided it was time to step it up and join a team. My first debut as a soccer player was at the age of thirteen with my school's team Decroly C.F. Later in the years, I've joined a total of eight soccer clubs in both Spain and the U.S. and played hundreds of games of “fútbol” (soccer).

 I consider myself to be a soccer fanatic who has had a solid experience in the field; however, what makes me capable of writing this blog is not only the lived experience but the many years of researching and gathering of news, facts, and other aspects related to the sport that I’ve done over the past years. As a passionate of the game, I enjoy keeping myself and others updated with the latest soccer news such as current events, facts, and other interesting information. Therefore, I always try to watch as many games as possible, read as many soccer news I can find, and gather as much information about every aspect of the game, in order to keep updating my knowledge in the sport and keep expanding my horizons.

 In general, my experience and understanding with soccer has taught me that no matter what team or country you cheer for, this sport will always be an unpredictable, diverse, and addicting game that unites more people than it divides. As a result of this acknowledgment, I have develop a unique view of the sport that allows me to talk and write about it in an unbiased and objective way as possible. Therefore, I strive to write about the world of soccer in general, with no especial emphasis on any team or player, so I can inform a wide variety of readers while providing diversified and broad facts that are relevant to the public interest.

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