The road to the 2014 FIFA World Cup™ shifted firmly into focus as 166 countries around the globe discovered the challenges ahead at the Preliminary Draw in Rio de Janeiro.
Eighty-one years to the day since Uruguay became the first team to win the Jules Rimet Trophy on home soil in Montevideo, world football’s biggest prize was in the limelight once more and if FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter, in his introductory speech, described football as Brazil’s “beating heart”, there were pulses accelerating inside the Marina da Gloria and far beyond as the draw unfolded.
Some of the greats of Brazilian football helped FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke in conducting the draw – including Bebeto, Cafu, Ronaldo, Mario Zagallo and Zico – and it threw up some intriguing contests, not least in the European Zone where holders Spain were drawn against France, winners in 1998, in Group I. These rivals last met in the second round of the 2006 finals in Germany where France won 3-1 en route to the final. The third seeds in Group I are Belarus who have taken four points off France in UEFA EURO 2012 qualifying.
Four-times winners Italy will face Denmark in Group B, Germany, the most successful team in qualifying history, must tackle Sweden in Group C, while England – 55 years to the day of their 1966 FIFA World Cup triumph – were pitted against Ukraine and Poland, the co-hosts of next year’s UEFA European Championship, as well as a Montenegro side they are currently competing against for a place at the European finals.
In the African Zone, a Côte d’Ivoire side who were present at Germany 2006 and South Africa 2010 will face Morocco – four-time finalists and the first African side to win a World Cup match – in Group C of qualifying Round Two. As for Ghana, quarter-finalists in South Africa, they will count Zambia as their most formidable rival in Group D.
Some of the greats of Brazilian football helped FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke in conducting the draw – including Bebeto, Cafu, Ronaldo, Mario Zagallo and Zico – and it threw up some intriguing contests, not least in the European Zone where holders Spain were drawn against France, winners in 1998, in Group I. These rivals last met in the second round of the 2006 finals in Germany where France won 3-1 en route to the final. The third seeds in Group I are Belarus who have taken four points off France in UEFA EURO 2012 qualifying.
Four-times winners Italy will face Denmark in Group B, Germany, the most successful team in qualifying history, must tackle Sweden in Group C, while England – 55 years to the day of their 1966 FIFA World Cup triumph – were pitted against Ukraine and Poland, the co-hosts of next year’s UEFA European Championship, as well as a Montenegro side they are currently competing against for a place at the European finals.
In the African Zone, a Côte d’Ivoire side who were present at Germany 2006 and South Africa 2010 will face Morocco – four-time finalists and the first African side to win a World Cup match – in Group C of qualifying Round Two. As for Ghana, quarter-finalists in South Africa, they will count Zambia as their most formidable rival in Group D.
Zico, the one-time coach of Japan, helped make the draw for Round Three of the Asian qualifying competition and his old team must pit their wits against Korea DPR in Group B – a potentially daunting section given these were two of the region’s four South Africa 2010 representatives and they must also face Uzbekistan. In Group D, an Australia side chasing a third successive finals appearance will face Saudi Arabia.
In the CONCACAF Zone, Mexico will face a Costa Rica team led by their former coach Ricardo La Volpe in Group B of preliminary Round Three. The duo could also find themselves up against 2006 finalists Trinidad and Tobago should they prevail in Round Two Group B. USA’s opponents in their section will include the Reggae Boyz of Jamaica.
In Oceania, New Zealand – who went home from South Africa 2010 as the only unbeaten team – may not have it all their own way in Group B where they find themselves up against a traditionally strong Fiji side, Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea. Should New Zealand prevail in Oceania qualifying they would face CONCACAF opposition in the Intercontinental play-offs while teams from Asia and South America would contest the other play-off. The South American group is as always save for the absence of Brazil, who qualifying automatically.
In the CONCACAF Zone, Mexico will face a Costa Rica team led by their former coach Ricardo La Volpe in Group B of preliminary Round Three. The duo could also find themselves up against 2006 finalists Trinidad and Tobago should they prevail in Round Two Group B. USA’s opponents in their section will include the Reggae Boyz of Jamaica.
In Oceania, New Zealand – who went home from South Africa 2010 as the only unbeaten team – may not have it all their own way in Group B where they find themselves up against a traditionally strong Fiji side, Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea. Should New Zealand prevail in Oceania qualifying they would face CONCACAF opposition in the Intercontinental play-offs while teams from Asia and South America would contest the other play-off. The South American group is as always save for the absence of Brazil, who qualifying automatically.
A record 203 teams will be competing in the preliminary competition for Brazil 2014 – a number that will be whittled down to the 31 who will join the hosts for the 20th FIFA World Cup finals which kick off on Thursday 12 June 2014.
THE DRAW RESULTS
These are the results from the Preliminary Draw which took place at the Marina da Gloria in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday 30 July.
Intercontinental play-offs Asia – South America
North, Central America and the Caribbean - Oceania
African Zone Draw Group A: South Africa, Botswana, Central African Republic, Somalia or Ethiopia
Group B: Tunisia, Cape Verde Islands, Sierra Leone, Equatorial Guinea or Madagascar
Group C: Côte d'Ivoire, Morocco, Gambia, Chad or Tanzania
Group D: Ghana, Zambia, Sudan, Lesotho or Burundi
Group E: Burkina Faso, Gabon, Niger, Sao Tome e Principe or Congo
Group F: Nigeria, Malawi, Seychelles or Kenya, Djibouti or Namibia
Group G: Egypt, Guinea, Zimbabwe, Comoros or Mozambique
Group H: Algeria, Mali, Benin, Eritrea or Rwanda
Group I: Cameroon, Libya, Guinea-Bissau or Togo, Swaziland or Congo DR
Group J: Senegal, Uganda, Angola, Mauritius or Liberia
Asian Zone Draw Group A: China, Jordan, Iraq, Singapore
Group B: Korea Republic, Kuwait, UAE, Lebanon
Group C: Japan, Uzbekistan, Syria, Korea DPR
Group D: Australia, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Thailand
Group E: Iran, Qatar, Bahrain, Indonesia
North, Central America and the Caribbean Zone Draw (Round Two) Group A: El Salvador, Surinam, Cayman Islands, Dominican Republic
Group B: Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Barbados, Bermuda
Group C: Panama, Dominica, Nicaragua, Bahamas
Group D: Canada, St. Kitts and Nevis, Puerto Rico, St Lucia
Group E: Grenada, Guatemala, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize
Group F: Haiti, Antigua and Barbuda, Curacao, US Virgin Islands
North, Central America and the Caribbean Zone Draw (Round Three) Group A: USA, Jamaica, Winner of R2 Grp E, Winner of R2 Grp F
Group B: Mexico, Costa Rica, Winner of R2 Grp A, Winner of R2 Grp B
Group C: Honduras, Cuba, Winner of R2 Grp D, Winner of R2 Grp C
Oceanian Zone DrawGroup A: Vanuatu, New Caledonia, American Samoa/Cook Islands/Samoa or Tonga, Tahiti
Group B: Fiji, New Zealand, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea
North, Central America and the Caribbean - Oceania
African Zone Draw Group A: South Africa, Botswana, Central African Republic, Somalia or Ethiopia
Group B: Tunisia, Cape Verde Islands, Sierra Leone, Equatorial Guinea or Madagascar
Group C: Côte d'Ivoire, Morocco, Gambia, Chad or Tanzania
Group D: Ghana, Zambia, Sudan, Lesotho or Burundi
Group E: Burkina Faso, Gabon, Niger, Sao Tome e Principe or Congo
Group F: Nigeria, Malawi, Seychelles or Kenya, Djibouti or Namibia
Group G: Egypt, Guinea, Zimbabwe, Comoros or Mozambique
Group H: Algeria, Mali, Benin, Eritrea or Rwanda
Group I: Cameroon, Libya, Guinea-Bissau or Togo, Swaziland or Congo DR
Group J: Senegal, Uganda, Angola, Mauritius or Liberia
Asian Zone Draw Group A: China, Jordan, Iraq, Singapore
Group B: Korea Republic, Kuwait, UAE, Lebanon
Group C: Japan, Uzbekistan, Syria, Korea DPR
Group D: Australia, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Thailand
Group E: Iran, Qatar, Bahrain, Indonesia
North, Central America and the Caribbean Zone Draw (Round Two) Group A: El Salvador, Surinam, Cayman Islands, Dominican Republic
Group B: Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Barbados, Bermuda
Group C: Panama, Dominica, Nicaragua, Bahamas
Group D: Canada, St. Kitts and Nevis, Puerto Rico, St Lucia
Group E: Grenada, Guatemala, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize
Group F: Haiti, Antigua and Barbuda, Curacao, US Virgin Islands
North, Central America and the Caribbean Zone Draw (Round Three) Group A: USA, Jamaica, Winner of R2 Grp E, Winner of R2 Grp F
Group B: Mexico, Costa Rica, Winner of R2 Grp A, Winner of R2 Grp B
Group C: Honduras, Cuba, Winner of R2 Grp D, Winner of R2 Grp C
Oceanian Zone DrawGroup A: Vanuatu, New Caledonia, American Samoa/Cook Islands/Samoa or Tonga, Tahiti
Group B: Fiji, New Zealand, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea
European Zone Draw Group A: Croatia, Serbia, Belgium, Scotland, Macedonia, Wales
Group B: Italy, Denmark, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Armenia, Malta.
Group C: Germany, Sweden, Republic of Ireland, Austria, Faroe Islands, Kazakhstan.
Group D: Netherlands, Turkey, Hungary, Romania, Estonia, Andorra.
Group E: Norway, Slovenia, Switzerland, Albania, Cyprus, Iceland.
Group F: Portugal, Russia, Israel, Northern Ireland, Azerbaijan, Luxembourg
Group G: Greece, Slovakia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Lithuania, Latvia, Lichtenstein
Group H: England, Montenegro, Ukraine, Poland, Moldova, San Marino
There are still three years to go before the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™ begins and although the hosts are not taking part in the qualifiers, that does not mean to say the country’s football stars are not already playing an active role in the competition.
A handful of them were on duty in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday, lending FIFA General Secretary Jerome Valcke a helping hand as the Preliminary Draw was made.
Among them were youngsters Lucas Piazon, Neymar and Ganso and legends of yesteryear such as Zico, Cafu and Bebeto. And as FIFA.com found out, both the old hands and the new boys on the block were delighted to be taking part.
“I am thrilled to be taking part in the draw for the preliminaries,” said Neymar moments before going on stage with Cafu to draw the groups in the Africa zone. “I’m so excited that it’s happening here in my country and I’m very honoured.”
No less elated at the prospect of the second FIFA World Cup to take place on Brazilian soil, Zico teamed up with Lucas to decide the fate of the Asian teams, and had this to say: “We hosted the World Cup in 1950, when the sport wasn’t what it is today. It was after that competition that Brazil became what it is in football, and if any country deserves to stage the World Cup, it’s this one.”
In contrast to the great Zico, Lucas Piazon is taking his first steps in the game and has just been representing his country at the FIFA U-17 World Cup Mexico 2011. The teenager joins Chelsea at the end of the year and perhaps not surprisingly, found Saturday’s show in Rio a little awe-inspiring: “I hadn’t realised the scale of this until now, but the fact is the World Cup starts here. Obviously I’m dreaming about Brazil 2014, though it’s still a long way away. First of all I’ve got to think about establishing myself at Chelsea and trying to fight my way into the team. If I can do that, then I’ll have a chance.”
Another young man with a similar dream is Flamengo fledgling Mattheus, whose father is none other than Bebeto and whose birth the former goalscorer famously celebrated when hitting Brazil’s second goal in a memorable quarter-final against the Netherlands at USA 1994.
“It’s so wonderful to welcome the whole world to our country for the draw,” said the ex-striker. “I’m just sorry I never experienced this as a player, though I’m dreaming of seeing my son fulfil that dream for me. A lot of things are going to be happening in the run-up to 2014. A new player comes through every year and who knows, Mattheus might be one of them. I always think he was destined to do it as soon as I did that goal celebration.”
After the legendary Mario Zagallo and Fellipe Bastos determined who faces who in Oceania it was on to the most eagerly awaited part of the evening and the European draw, which was performed by Paulo Henrique Ganso and Ronaldo.
“All I can do now is cheer Brazil on from the sidelines,” said Ronaldo, who appeared in four FIFA World Cups and is the leading all-time goalscorer in the competition. “I’d love to play in a World Cup in Brazil but my time has gone.”
Brazil kicked off the 2014 FIFA World Cup™ in typically exuberant style with a festival of music and football at the Preliminary Draw show on Saturday 30 July in Rio de Janeiro.
The beautifully decked-out Marina da Gloria provided the perfect setting for Brazilian President Dilma Roussef, who took to the stage to declare: "Brazil has now been admired for a lot more than its football, its music and its popular celebrations. I invite people from the whole world to meet Brazil and the Brazilians.
"Whoever comes here will find a country perfectly prepared to host the FIFA World Cup. You may be sure that this new Brazil will be perfectly ready to enchant the world in 2014, with its joyful, generous people that loves not only football, but also freedom, social justice and peace."
FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter had earlier opened proceedings, saying: "We are very happy to be back in Brazil 61 years after the last FIFA World Cup here, in a country whose heart beats with football. Brazil has always produced stars who make world football richer.
"The world is expecting a wonderful FIFA World Cup and for that we will have the support of everyone, in particular the 190million football lovers. Brazil is not only about football, it's also a multicultural country with a rich culture and a booming economy, now ranked seventh in the world. I'm happy to say today: 'Let the 2014 FIFA World Cup begin'."
The show, hosted by model and actress Fernanda Lima and TV presenter Tadeu Schmidt, then moved on to the main event: the draw. Former Brazil captain Cafu had been asked to conduct the draw for Africa, and the 2002 world champion made his way onto the stage accompanied by the rising star of Brazilian football, Neymar, fresh from scoring an incredible goal for Santos just a few days ago. The pair took to their task with relish, and when matters had been decided, Côte d'Ivoire and Morocco were left rueing their luck at being handed such a tough group.
Australia, Japan face challenge in Asia Legendary playmaker Zico was next up, accompanied by another new talent fresh off the Brazilian production line, Lucas, to conduct the draw for the Asian Zone. This time around it was Japan and Australia who found themselves facing a stern qualifying challenge.
Now two musicians took centre stage to the delight of the audience. Ivan Lins, the first Brazilian to win the album of the year at the Latin Grammy Awards, back in 2005, and Ana Carolina, one of the most celebrated singers of the last decade, provided the perfect musical interlude.
Then it was the turn of 1994 world champion Bebeto to take a bow, along with young Lucas Piazon, striker for the Brazil side that reached the semi-finals of the recent FIFA U-17 World Cup Mexico 2011. Their job was to pick out countries for the North, Central America and the Caribbean Zone, and under the watchful eye of master of ceremonies FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke, Mexico were handed a potentially tough draw.
Pianist and composer Daniel Jobim, grandson and rightful heir to the great Tom Jobim, provided another beautiful passage of music before Mario Zagallo and Felipe Bastos were called up to conduct the draw for Oceania.
Next it was the turn Ivete Sangalo to thrill the assembly with a delightful perfomance. The Bahia-state native, who has won a host of awards overseas for her music, was accompanied by the Heliopolis Symphonic Orchestra, which was set up by the Baccarelli institute in 1996 to provide grants to muscians from disadvantaged backgrounds to enable them to pursue their love of music.
Spain and France drawn together in Europe
The recently retired Ronaldo, top scorer in FIFA World Cup history, was last up, accompanied by the young prodigy from Santos and A Verde e Amarelo, Ganso. By the time they had finished pulling out the European countries, the likes of Croatia, Spain and France, all of whom find themselves in hard groups, were probably wishing they hadn’t bothered.
Her back to the Copacabana shoreline, camera in hand, 44-year-old Italian teacher Angelica Poeta prepares to take a holiday snap of her daughter Mariana in Rio de Janeiro. But for once, Brazil’s most famous beach is forced to take a backseat, with the family from Belo Horizonte in Minas Gerais state instead focusing on a piece of installation artwork located in front of Avenida Atlantica, which bears the official logo of the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™.
“It’s really cool to see a World Cup atmosphere beginning to build in Brazil,” said Angelica, who is making the most of the school holidays to spend a week in Rio. “It seems like there’s still a long way to go, but actually it’s almost upon us already. Wherever we look, we see some World Cup symbol or other. Us Brazilians are used to spending a month totally wrapped up in the World Cup, but this time around we’re going to have the chance to really savour the event, that’s going to feel much more personal, for the next three years.”
With the competition’s official logo already catching the eye of football fans in one of Rio’s most iconic picture postcard spots, another of the city’s popular tourist destinations is preparing to host the first major event on the road to the FIFA World Cup. Indeed, Saturday’s hosting of the Preliminary Draw for the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil, which will soon define the route national teams must take to stay in the running for the most coveted trophy on Planet Football, has changed the face of the Marina da Gloria.
For the past two months, a megastructure has been set up at the marina to host a huge show featuring musicians, performers and footballing big names from Brazil and across the globe. The sheer scale of the event has caught many people by surprise, with few expecting such a level of furore prior to the FIFA Confederations Cup 2013.
“I didn’t think there’d be something so big so soon,” said local taxi driver Sergio Mendonca. “As soon as I saw this enormous pavilion here, I knew it was an event related to the 2014 World Cup. The structure they’ve set up is really impressive. It feels like the World Cup has arrived in Brazil almost overnight, with people starting to get involved and the tension mounting.”
In a city where, even on a normal day, stumbling upon impromptu matches on the street, the beach or any number of pitches is almost a given, the reach of the beautiful game is even more all-pervasive at the moment. For the people of Rio, there can be no doubt that the build-up to the 2014 FIFA World Cup has begun in earnest, while those arriving in the city for the Preliminary Draw will take at least one image home with them: nowhere lives and breathes football like Brazil.
Group B: Italy, Denmark, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Armenia, Malta.
Group C: Germany, Sweden, Republic of Ireland, Austria, Faroe Islands, Kazakhstan.
Group D: Netherlands, Turkey, Hungary, Romania, Estonia, Andorra.
Group E: Norway, Slovenia, Switzerland, Albania, Cyprus, Iceland.
Group F: Portugal, Russia, Israel, Northern Ireland, Azerbaijan, Luxembourg
Group G: Greece, Slovakia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Lithuania, Latvia, Lichtenstein
Group H: England, Montenegro, Ukraine, Poland, Moldova, San Marino
Group I: Spain, France, Belarus, Georgia, Finland
Stars struck by FIFA World Cup fever
A handful of them were on duty in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday, lending FIFA General Secretary Jerome Valcke a helping hand as the Preliminary Draw was made.
Among them were youngsters Lucas Piazon, Neymar and Ganso and legends of yesteryear such as Zico, Cafu and Bebeto. And as FIFA.com found out, both the old hands and the new boys on the block were delighted to be taking part.
“I am thrilled to be taking part in the draw for the preliminaries,” said Neymar moments before going on stage with Cafu to draw the groups in the Africa zone. “I’m so excited that it’s happening here in my country and I’m very honoured.”
No less elated at the prospect of the second FIFA World Cup to take place on Brazilian soil, Zico teamed up with Lucas to decide the fate of the Asian teams, and had this to say: “We hosted the World Cup in 1950, when the sport wasn’t what it is today. It was after that competition that Brazil became what it is in football, and if any country deserves to stage the World Cup, it’s this one.”
I hadn’t realised the scale of this until now, but the fact is the World Cup starts here. Obviously I’m dreaming about Brazil 2014, though it’s still a long way away.
Lucas Piazon, Brazilian midfielder
In contrast to the great Zico, Lucas Piazon is taking his first steps in the game and has just been representing his country at the FIFA U-17 World Cup Mexico 2011. The teenager joins Chelsea at the end of the year and perhaps not surprisingly, found Saturday’s show in Rio a little awe-inspiring: “I hadn’t realised the scale of this until now, but the fact is the World Cup starts here. Obviously I’m dreaming about Brazil 2014, though it’s still a long way away. First of all I’ve got to think about establishing myself at Chelsea and trying to fight my way into the team. If I can do that, then I’ll have a chance.”
Another young man with a similar dream is Flamengo fledgling Mattheus, whose father is none other than Bebeto and whose birth the former goalscorer famously celebrated when hitting Brazil’s second goal in a memorable quarter-final against the Netherlands at USA 1994.
“It’s so wonderful to welcome the whole world to our country for the draw,” said the ex-striker. “I’m just sorry I never experienced this as a player, though I’m dreaming of seeing my son fulfil that dream for me. A lot of things are going to be happening in the run-up to 2014. A new player comes through every year and who knows, Mattheus might be one of them. I always think he was destined to do it as soon as I did that goal celebration.”
After the legendary Mario Zagallo and Fellipe Bastos determined who faces who in Oceania it was on to the most eagerly awaited part of the evening and the European draw, which was performed by Paulo Henrique Ganso and Ronaldo.
“All I can do now is cheer Brazil on from the sidelines,” said Ronaldo, who appeared in four FIFA World Cups and is the leading all-time goalscorer in the competition. “I’d love to play in a World Cup in Brazil but my time has gone.”
The beautifully decked-out Marina da Gloria provided the perfect setting for Brazilian President Dilma Roussef, who took to the stage to declare: "Brazil has now been admired for a lot more than its football, its music and its popular celebrations. I invite people from the whole world to meet Brazil and the Brazilians.
"Whoever comes here will find a country perfectly prepared to host the FIFA World Cup. You may be sure that this new Brazil will be perfectly ready to enchant the world in 2014, with its joyful, generous people that loves not only football, but also freedom, social justice and peace."
I'm happy to say today: 'Let the 2014 FIFA World Cup begin'.
FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter
FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter had earlier opened proceedings, saying: "We are very happy to be back in Brazil 61 years after the last FIFA World Cup here, in a country whose heart beats with football. Brazil has always produced stars who make world football richer.
"The world is expecting a wonderful FIFA World Cup and for that we will have the support of everyone, in particular the 190million football lovers. Brazil is not only about football, it's also a multicultural country with a rich culture and a booming economy, now ranked seventh in the world. I'm happy to say today: 'Let the 2014 FIFA World Cup begin'."
The show, hosted by model and actress Fernanda Lima and TV presenter Tadeu Schmidt, then moved on to the main event: the draw. Former Brazil captain Cafu had been asked to conduct the draw for Africa, and the 2002 world champion made his way onto the stage accompanied by the rising star of Brazilian football, Neymar, fresh from scoring an incredible goal for Santos just a few days ago. The pair took to their task with relish, and when matters had been decided, Côte d'Ivoire and Morocco were left rueing their luck at being handed such a tough group.
Australia, Japan face challenge in Asia Legendary playmaker Zico was next up, accompanied by another new talent fresh off the Brazilian production line, Lucas, to conduct the draw for the Asian Zone. This time around it was Japan and Australia who found themselves facing a stern qualifying challenge.
Now two musicians took centre stage to the delight of the audience. Ivan Lins, the first Brazilian to win the album of the year at the Latin Grammy Awards, back in 2005, and Ana Carolina, one of the most celebrated singers of the last decade, provided the perfect musical interlude.
Then it was the turn of 1994 world champion Bebeto to take a bow, along with young Lucas Piazon, striker for the Brazil side that reached the semi-finals of the recent FIFA U-17 World Cup Mexico 2011. Their job was to pick out countries for the North, Central America and the Caribbean Zone, and under the watchful eye of master of ceremonies FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke, Mexico were handed a potentially tough draw.
Pianist and composer Daniel Jobim, grandson and rightful heir to the great Tom Jobim, provided another beautiful passage of music before Mario Zagallo and Felipe Bastos were called up to conduct the draw for Oceania.
Next it was the turn Ivete Sangalo to thrill the assembly with a delightful perfomance. The Bahia-state native, who has won a host of awards overseas for her music, was accompanied by the Heliopolis Symphonic Orchestra, which was set up by the Baccarelli institute in 1996 to provide grants to muscians from disadvantaged backgrounds to enable them to pursue their love of music.
Spain and France drawn together in Europe
The recently retired Ronaldo, top scorer in FIFA World Cup history, was last up, accompanied by the young prodigy from Santos and A Verde e Amarelo, Ganso. By the time they had finished pulling out the European countries, the likes of Croatia, Spain and France, all of whom find themselves in hard groups, were probably wishing they hadn’t bothered.
A final video promoting sport as a source of hope for a better future marked the end of a memorable show that set the stage for next Soccer World Cup.
Rio catches FIFA World Cup fever
“It’s really cool to see a World Cup atmosphere beginning to build in Brazil,” said Angelica, who is making the most of the school holidays to spend a week in Rio. “It seems like there’s still a long way to go, but actually it’s almost upon us already. Wherever we look, we see some World Cup symbol or other. Us Brazilians are used to spending a month totally wrapped up in the World Cup, but this time around we’re going to have the chance to really savour the event, that’s going to feel much more personal, for the next three years.”
With the competition’s official logo already catching the eye of football fans in one of Rio’s most iconic picture postcard spots, another of the city’s popular tourist destinations is preparing to host the first major event on the road to the FIFA World Cup. Indeed, Saturday’s hosting of the Preliminary Draw for the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil, which will soon define the route national teams must take to stay in the running for the most coveted trophy on Planet Football, has changed the face of the Marina da Gloria.
It feels like the World Cup has arrived in Brazil almost overnight, with people starting to get involved and the tension mounting.
Rio taxi driver Sergio Mendonca
For the past two months, a megastructure has been set up at the marina to host a huge show featuring musicians, performers and footballing big names from Brazil and across the globe. The sheer scale of the event has caught many people by surprise, with few expecting such a level of furore prior to the FIFA Confederations Cup 2013.
“I didn’t think there’d be something so big so soon,” said local taxi driver Sergio Mendonca. “As soon as I saw this enormous pavilion here, I knew it was an event related to the 2014 World Cup. The structure they’ve set up is really impressive. It feels like the World Cup has arrived in Brazil almost overnight, with people starting to get involved and the tension mounting.”
In a city where, even on a normal day, stumbling upon impromptu matches on the street, the beach or any number of pitches is almost a given, the reach of the beautiful game is even more all-pervasive at the moment. For the people of Rio, there can be no doubt that the build-up to the 2014 FIFA World Cup has begun in earnest, while those arriving in the city for the Preliminary Draw will take at least one image home with them: nowhere lives and breathes football like Brazil.
Modern qualifiers add to dramatic history
The preliminary draw for the FIFA World Cup™ has produced some truly unforgettable fixtures over the years. The hand of fate has no favourites and cares little for hierarchies, meaning that teams are often faced with seemingly insurmountable obstacles on the road to the finals. It is this unpredictability that has helped create so many classic matches.
In the second of a two-part series, FIFA.com looks back at some of the most memorable matches from past qualifying campaigns, including times when fancied teams realised that their journey to the finals might not be as straightforward as they had hoped.
One step from changing historyFew could forget the great Dutch side of Germany 1974, but did you know that they very nearly failed to qualify for the tournament at all? The Netherlands finished level with Belgium at the top of their qualifying group, with only goal difference putting them through to the finals. In the same campaign, England’s hopes of qualifying were shattered by a Poland side that featured the talents of Grzegorz Lato and Wadyslaw Zmuda. Elsewhere, Mexico lost 4-0 to Trinidad and Tobago in one of the biggest upsets in FIFA World Cup qualifying history. In the end, though, it was Haiti who qualified for the 1974 finals, beating the Soca Warriors 2-1 in Port-au-Prince along the way.
The preliminary draw for Argentina 1978 produced another heavyweight clash, this time with Italy and England sharing the same qualifying group. The campaign was once again to end in tears for the Three Lions, whose failure to qualify was made all the more painful by the fact that only goal difference denied them a place at the finals. There was no such disappointment for Spain, however, as they finally overcame their bogey team, Yugoslavia, to secure a trip to Argentina.
With the number of teams increased to 24 for the Spain 1982 finals, the preliminaries were more competitive than ever before. Two-time runners-up the Netherlands were handed a group that included near rivals Belgium and a talented French side, and the sands of time caught up with the Dutch, as they failed to qualify for the main event. In the North, Central America and Caribbean Zone, Mexico were once again left to reflect on what might have been. The competition was held in Honduras, where a Mexican side featuring Hugo Sanchez finished behind the hosts and El Salvador to miss out on a finals berth.
With the number of teams increased to 24 for the Spain 1982 finals, the preliminaries were more competitive than ever before. Two-time runners-up the Netherlands were handed a group that included near rivals Belgium and a talented French side, and the sands of time caught up with the Dutch, as they failed to qualify for the main event. In the North, Central America and Caribbean Zone, Mexico were once again left to reflect on what might have been. The competition was held in Honduras, where a Mexican side featuring Hugo Sanchez finished behind the hosts and El Salvador to miss out on a finals berth.
The Mexico 1986 qualifying competition featured a match between Scotland and Wales that remains one of the most memorable encounters in FIFA World Cup qualifying history. The match ended in a draw, which was enough to secure Scotland a play-off against Australia, but ended in tragedy with the death of legendary manager Jock Stein.
The road to Italy 1990 proved to be a rocky one for France. The Mexico 1986 semi-finalists never recovered from a poor start and finished the qualifying campaign behind Yugoslavia and Scotland. Four years later, in another unforgettable encounter, France conceded a last-minute goal to lose 2-1 at home to Bulgaria when a draw would have been enough to see them through to USA 1994.
Revenge and joy It was also during the USA 1994 preliminaries that Japan suffered one of the biggest blows in their football history, conceding a last-minute goal against Iran to send Korea Republic to the finals. The Samurai Blue exacted revenge four years later, however, with a now-legendary 2-0 win against their arch rivals in Seoul. In South America, Bolivia achieved an historic qualification for USA 1994 by beating Brazil 2-0, with both goals coming in the last two minutes.
Revenge and joy It was also during the USA 1994 preliminaries that Japan suffered one of the biggest blows in their football history, conceding a last-minute goal against Iran to send Korea Republic to the finals. The Samurai Blue exacted revenge four years later, however, with a now-legendary 2-0 win against their arch rivals in Seoul. In South America, Bolivia achieved an historic qualification for USA 1994 by beating Brazil 2-0, with both goals coming in the last two minutes.
The biggest story in qualifying for Korea/Japan 2002 was the Netherlands’ failure to reach the finals, losing out as they did to Luis Figo’s Portugal and Roy Keane’s Republic of Ireland. Elsewhere, England inflicted a 5-1 defeat on Germany in Munich that ultimately forced their old rivals into the play-offs. In Africa, Senegal sprung a major surprise by qualifying from a group that featured some of the continent’s most feared opponents.
Germany 2006’s preliminary competition produced an enthralling four-way tussle between France, Switzerland, Israel and Republic of Ireland. The group was decided almost right at the very end, with France eventually clinching top spot and with it a place at the finals. However, the real drama was to be found in the African section. With the exception of Tunisia, all of the teams that qualified for Korea/Japan 2002 failed to reach the showpiece event in Germany.
Interestingly, the qualifying campaign for South Africa 2010 created the fewest surprises, although it is worth noting England’s concern at being drawn alongside Croatia – the side that denied them a place at UEFA EURO 2008. As it turned out, their fears were groundless and Fabio Capello’s men qualified with relative ease.
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