World Cup Finals 2014: Group Stage

Finally the much awaited segment of group slotting of the 32 reigning teams in the Fifa World Cup 2014 Finals had been completed.

wc1-group-300wc2-group-300

Reigning champions Spain have been paired with Netherlands, Chile and Australia in Group B of the 2014 World Cup.

Hosts Brazil, meanwhile, were drawn alongside Croatia, Mexico and Cameroon, while Euro 2012 runners-up Italy will have to deal with Uruguay, England and Costa Rica in Group D.

Group C promises to be an even battle, with dark horses Colombia having been bracketed with Greece, Cote d’Ivoire and Japan, while Group E consists of Switzerland, Ecuador, France and Honduras.

Argentina and Nigeria meet again in Group F, after previously locking horns at the 2010 World Cup, with Iran and debutants Bosnia-Herzegovina completing their section.

Finally, Germany will take on Portugal, Ghana and USA in a strong-looking Group G, with Belgium, Algeria, Russia and South Korea making up Group H.

Next summer’s tournament will kick off on June 12 in Sao Paulo, with hosts Brazil meeting Croatia in the opening game.

The group stage comes to an end on June 26, with the first games of the round of 16 to take place only two days later in Belo Horizonte and Rio de Janeiro.

The four quarter-finals will then be staged on July 4 and 5, while the semi-finals take place on July 8 and 9 and the 2014 World Cup winners will be crowned on July 13 in Rio de Janeiro.

Source: goal.com