It began on 12 June, with a group stage, and is scheduled to
conclude on 13 July with the final.It is the second time that Brazil has hosted
the competition, the first being in 1950. Brazil was elected unchallenged as
host nation in 2007 after the international football federation, FIFA, decreed
that the tournament would be staged in South America for the first time since
1978 in Argentina, and the fifth time overall.
The national teams of 31 countries advanced through
qualification competitions that began in June 2011 to participate with the host
nation Brazil in the final tournament. A total of 64 matches are being played
in 12 cities across Brazil in either new or redeveloped stadiums. For the first
time at a World Cup finals, match officials are using goal-line technology, as
well as vanishing foam for free kicks.All world champion teams since the first World Cup in 1930 – Argentina, Brazil, England, France, Germany (who won three times as West Germany), Italy, Spain and Uruguay – qualified for this competition. Spain were the title holders, having defeated the Netherlands 1–0 in the 2010 final to win their first World Cup, but they were eliminated at the group stage after losses in the first two matches against the Netherlands and Chile. All seven previous World Cup tournaments staged in the Americas (four in South America and three in North America) were won by South American teams.
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA)
is an association governed by Swiss law founded in 1904 and based in Zurich. It
has 209 member associations and its goal, enshrined in its Statutes, is the
constant improvement of football. FIFA employs some 310 people from over 35
nations and is composed of a Congress (legislative body), Executive Committee
(executive body), General Secretariat (administrative body) and committees
(assisting the Executive Committee).
