The tournament was held in 12 stadiums in Brazil, with the final being the Maracana in Rio de Janeiro.
Host: Brazil
Groups: 32
Color: Group stage, knockouts
Similarities: 64
Objectives: 171
Winner: Germany
Finalists: Argentina
Golden ShoesJames Rodriguez (Colombia)
History
It took 64 years for the competition to return to the world of football.
When football’s biggest party arrived in Brazil, the country lived up to expectations and put on an unforgettable tournament.
Bosnia and Herzegovina were the only starters while none of the Nordic countries qualified.
The tournament was held in 12 stadiums in Brazil, with the final being the Maracana in Rio de Janeiro.
FIFA has deployed new technology to help players make calls closer to the goal line, as well as a leak that breaks down when marking the position of a shot.
Due to the heat and humidity in Brazil, FIFA approved a cooling-off period for players and officials. A break will be given at the referee’s discretion after 30 minutes.
Hosts Spain faced a difficult exit from the group stage after being beaten by their last World Cup rivals, the Netherlands. The Dutch won 5-1. Spain then lost to Chile before defeating Australia.
In group D, known as the “Group of Death”, Italy and England were eliminated while Costa Rica and Uruguay advanced. Portugal’s early exit from the tournament was also unexpected.
Hosts Brazil were among the favourites, riding on the success of their new star Neymar. They got past Colombia in the quarterfinals but lost Neymar for the rest of the game with a back injury.
Their woes deepened when Germany beat them 7-1 in the semis.
Argentina, led by one of the game’s greatest players, Lionel Messi, reached the final. The finalists saw strong defensive tactics from both sides and were forced into extra time with no goals scored in the 90 minutes.
Mario Gotze, who came on as a substitute in the last two minutes of normal time, scored the perfect goal in the 113th minute to make Germany the first European nation to win the World Cup in South America.
High quality
Fans and pundits called the tournament one of the best World Cup matches full of goals and a season of excitement.
Robin van Persie scored one of the most memorable goals as he fired the Netherlands into the lead in their opening match against Spain.
Low
Leading up to the tournament, protests were held across Brazil against the use of public funds ($11bn) to build stadiums instead of housing, hospitals and schools.
Police used force against protesters, resulting in injuries and international condemnation.
Luis Suarez of Uruguay bit Giorgio Chiellini of Italy during a group match. He was shown a red card and banned for nine games by the FIFA Advisory Committee.
Germany’s celebrations at home were met with criticism after they mocked the Argentinian gauchos by bowing.
