2014 World Cup Preview

The official 2014 World Cup Logo

While the 2014 World Cup, hosted by Brazil, does not kick off until this upcoming June, the draw for all qualified teams has already taken place and the groups for preliminary matches have been set. The World Cup only comes around every four years, so “World Cup Fever” is starting to hit. There are still six months before any games will be played, meaning plenty of things could happen to each team regarding injuries and other moves. Regardless of that, it’s time for an early preview of soccer’s biggest stage.

Group A: Brazil (Host Nation), Croatia, Mexico, Cameroon

Brazil had an automatic entry to this year’s world Cup due to their status as the host nation, but they more than likely would have made it anyway with a plethora of talent. The rest of the group remains talented, but lacks the big names that would draw a lot of attention to their matches outside of their respective countries. A storyline to follow will be if Mexican superstar Chicharito remains on the roster after being injured and left off the roster in a pivotal qualifying game in November.

Predicted to Move On: Brazil and Mexico

Players to Watch: Samuel Eto’o (Cameroon), Neymar, Thiago Silva, Maicon (Brazil), Chicharito (Mexico)

Group B: Spain, Netherlands, Chile, Australia

The defending World Cup champions, Spain, take on the runner-up from that year, Netherlands, in a strong group. Those two teams are perennial contenders, and are joined by underrated Chile and Australia squads. The Spain-Netherlands game is going to be one to watch, no matter your team alliance. An interesting storyline to follow leading up to the World Cup will be the decisions Spain manager Vicente del Bosque makes regarding his immense depth at every position.

Predicted to Move On: Spain and the Netherlands

Players to Watch: Iker Casillas, Andrés Iniesta, Fernando Torres (Spain), Robin van Persie, Arjen Robben, Wesley Sneijder (Netherlands), Arturo Vidal, Alexis Sánchez (Chile)

Group C: Colombia, Japan, Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Greece

This is a group that is really up for grabs, with no real frontrunners as of now. It does not have the star power of other groups, but should provide some solid matches. Ivory Coast looks to make a big run, as their so-called “Golden Era” may be coming to a close with their premier talent all getting up there in age.

Predicted to Move On: Colombia and Cote d’Ivoire

Players to Watch: Radamel Falcao (Colombia), Didier Drogba, Yaya Touré, Gervinho (Cote d’Ivoire), Shinji Kagawa, Keisuke Honda (Japan)

Group D: Uruguay, England, Italy, Costa Rica

The odd-man out in this group is Costa Rica, as they face some stiff competition. Italy won the World Cup in 2006 and has been rejuvenated. Uruguay finished fourth in the last World Cup and had the tournaments “Best Player Award” in Diego Forlán on their squad that year. England is always a threat as well.

Predicted to Move On: Italy and Uruguay

Players to Watch: Diego Forlán, Luis Suárez (Uruguay), Wayne Rooney, Daniel Sturridge, Wilfred Zaha (England), Mario Balotelli, Gianluigi Buffon, Stephan El Shaarawy (Italy)

Group E: Ecuador, France, Switzerland, Honduras

France headlines this group of underrated teams. This group actually has three teams in the FIFA World Rankings Top 25: Ecuador at 23, France at 20, and Switzerland at number 8. In fact, Switzerland is currently ranked higher than Brazil, the Netherlands and England. This group may lack star power, but it has plenty of good team play.

Predicted to Move On: France and Switzerland

Players to Watch: Antonia Valencia (Ecuador), Olivier Giroud, Samir Nasri, Franck Ribéry (France)

Group F: Argentina, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Nigeria, Iran

Group F is Argentina’s group to lose. If they do not finish first, it will be seen as a major upset. This group just lacks play that is strong enough to pose any sort of challenge to “The White and Sky Blue”. Argentina also has one of the best players in the world on their team in Lionel Messi.

Predicted to Move On: Argentina and Nigeria

Players to Watch: Edin Dzeko (Bosnia-Herzegovina), Victor Moses (Nigeria), Lionel Messi (Argentina)

Group G: Portugal, Germany, Ghana, United States of America

The much talked-about “Group of Death”. Four strong teams vying for only two spots to the next round. Portugal almost did not make it to the World Cup, but thanks to heroics from possibly the most famous footballer since David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo, they beat Sweden to punch their ticket. Germany is number two in the FIFA World Rankings, the USA has shown rapid improvement since the last World Cup, and Ghana is a constant pain in the sides of US soccer fans everywhere, knocking out the Stars and Stripes in the past two World Cups.

Predicted to Move On: Germany and Portugal

Players to Watch: Cristiano Ronaldo, João Moutinho (Portugal), Kevin-Prince Boateng, Asamoah Gyan (Ghana), Thomas Müller, Per Mertesacker, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Mesut Özil (Germany), Tim Howard, Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan, Jozy Altidore, Graham Zusi (USA)

Group H: Algeria, Belgium, Russia, Korea Republic

If this group looks odd, that would be because it is. Algeria is mostly known for being the team that the USA beat in the last World Cup on a thrilling Landon Donovan goal. Not much is known about the Russian and Korean teams, as they are made up primarily of players that play for hometown clubs. Korea plays with a lot of speed, which could provide intense moments. Belgium is the favorite to take the top spot in this group.

Predicted to Move On: Belgium and Russia

Players to Watch: Alan Dzagoev (Russia), Saphir Taider (Algeria), Christian Benteke, Romelu Lukaku, Vincent Kompany, Eden Hazard (Belgium)

Who Will Win The World Cup?

Teams like Brazil, Portugal, Belgium, and even the United States make strong cases to be the predicted winner. But it will come down to two teams: Germany and Spain. Germany has a core of talent that is unique. Germany’s Mesut Özil is in the conversation for Best Player in the World with players like Messi and Ronaldo. However, Spain’s raw talent, immense depth at all positions, and especially experience, will help the Spaniards claim their second straight World Cup title. Brazil’s Neymar will take home the “Golden Ball” for best player, with Özil coming in second and Luis Suárez coming in third for the award.

Spain celebrates their 2010 World Cup victory

Who was left out?

There are, of course, some very talented players whose national teams just do not play as well as they do. Gareth Bale of Wales may never get to a World Cup due to Wales lack of talent for the foreseeable future. Branislav Ivanović is a great defender for Chelsea of the English Premier League, but he is one of a kind in his native Serbia, where homegrown talent is not common. Petr Čech of the Czech Republic, once considered to be the best goalie in the world, is getting old, and this may have been his last shot at a World Cup. Possibly the best player to not be in this years World Cup is Sweden’s Zlatan Ibrahimović. “Ibra”, as he is known, was denied his shot at the world stage by Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal in an epic playoff, in which Ronaldo scored three goals, while Zlatan tallied two. Ibrahimović is 32 and may have seen his last chance at a World Cup slip away. He said it himself, “One thing is for sure, a World Cup without me is nothing to watch. Congratulations to Portugal, but both teams deserved to get to the World Cup.” (http://www.theguardian.com/football/2013/nov/20/zlatan-ibrahimovic-world-cup-not-worth-watching-without-me) It is a shame we will not see some of the games best on the grandest stage of them all.

Swedish national team captain Zlatan Ibrahimović

The 2014 World Cup kicks off on June 12, 2014 and will be must watch television. I repeat, DO NOT MISS IT.