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.