2014 FIFA World Cup qualification
Encyclopedia
The 2014 FIFA World Cup
will feature 32 teams. One place was allocated to the hosts, , but no automatic place is given to the defending champions, . The remaining 31 places will be determined by a qualification process, in which entrants from among the other 207 teams from the six FIFA
confederations will compete. Most qualification will be determined within these confederations, with a limited number of inter-confederation play-offs occurring at the end of the process. , , and did not enter. The first qualification match was played on 15 June 2011 and the Belizean
striker Deon McCauley
scored the first goal of the tournament. As of 26 November 2011, 136 teams remain in contention for 31 remaining qualification places. The originally published schedule would have consisted of 824 qualifying matches, but the withdrawal of the and means only 816 will be required.
The distribution by confederation for the 2014 World Cup will be:
UEFA and CAF have a guaranteed number of places, whereas the number of qualifiers from other confederations is dependent on play-offs between Asia's fifth-placed team and CONMEBOL's fifth-placed team, and between CONCACAF's fourth-placed team and Oceania's first-placed team. A draw determined the pairings between the four teams involved.
If teams are still equal then a single play-off at a neutral venue will be played. If scores are level after 90 minutes in the play-off, then two 15-minutes periods of extra time and (if required) a penalty shoot-out would determine the winner.
The draw for the first two rounds of qualifiers was held in Kuala Lumpur
on 30 March 2011.
The qualification process began with 43 national teams vying for four and a half spots. As of 15 November 2011, 29 nations have been eliminated, leaving 14 teams still in contention.
The qualification process began with 52 national teams vying for five spots. As of 16 November 2011, 12 nations have been eliminated, leaving 40 teams still in contention.
35 national teams began the qualification process vying for three and a half spots. As of 15 November 2011, 22 nations have been eliminated and the Bahamas
have withdrawn, leaving 12 nations still in contention.
has qualified automatically. The remaining nine teams will play in a single league, commencing in October 2011, consisting of two matches between each nation. The top four teams will qualify for the World Cup, whilst the fifth placed team will proceed to the inter-confederational play-offs against a team from AFC.
, Samoa
, and Tonga
) competed in the first round of qualifying: a single round-robin tournament in Apia, Samoa
, from 22–26 November 2011. The winner of the group, Samoa
, joined the remaining 7 OFC teams in the 2012 OFC Nations Cup
, which will also double as the second qualifying round. The four semi-finalists of the Nations Cup will advance to Round Three, consisting of a double round-robin held on a home-and-away basis, which will take place between 7 September 2012 and 26 March 2013.
The winner of round three will then compete in a two-legged play-off against a team from CONCACAF for the right to play in the 2014 FIFA World Cup finals.
Eleven national teams began this qualification process vying for half a place. As of 26 November 2011, 3 nations have been eliminated, leaving 8 teams still in contention.
, which serves as the second round of qualifying for the 2014 FIFA World Cup
. The four semi-finalists from this tournament will advance to the Third Round.
All 53 national associations affiliated with UEFA will take part in the qualification process, with thirteen qualifying places up for grabs. There will be eight groups of six teams and a single group of five teams. The nine group winners qualify, while the eight best runners-up – ranked according to all their games except for games against the sixth-placed team in their group – will play-off for the four remaining spots.
|}
11 goals Deon McCaulay
8 goals Peter Byers
7 goals Lê Công Vinh
6 goals
Tamarley Thomas Rocky Siberie
Hassan Abdel-Fattah Blas Pérez
Park Chu-Young
5 goals
Lesly St. Fleur Erick Ozuna
Jean-Eudes Maurice
Shinji Okazaki
Luis Suárez
2014 FIFA World Cup
The 2014 FIFA World Cup will be the 20th FIFA World Cup, an international association football tournament that will take place in Brazil from 12 June to 13 July 2014....
will feature 32 teams. One place was allocated to the hosts, , but no automatic place is given to the defending champions, . The remaining 31 places will be determined by a qualification process, in which entrants from among the other 207 teams from the six FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
confederations will compete. Most qualification will be determined within these confederations, with a limited number of inter-confederation play-offs occurring at the end of the process. , , and did not enter. The first qualification match was played on 15 June 2011 and the Belizean
Belizean people
Belizeans are people originating in the Central American nation of Belize whether they live there or in the Belizean diaspora.-Diaspora:About one out of every three Belizeans now lives overseas and outside of Belize; the majority have migrated to Anglophone countries, especially the United States,...
striker Deon McCauley
Deon McCauley
Deon McCaulay is a Belizean international footballer who plays for Honduran club Deportes Savio, as a striker.-Career:...
scored the first goal of the tournament. As of 26 November 2011, 136 teams remain in contention for 31 remaining qualification places. The originally published schedule would have consisted of 824 qualifying matches, but the withdrawal of the and means only 816 will be required.
Qualified teams
| Team | Method of qualification |
Date of qualification |
Finals appearance |
Consecutive World Cups |
Last appearance |
Previous best performance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Host | 30 Oct 2007 | 20th | 20 | 2010 2010 FIFA World Cup The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010... |
Winner (1958 1958 FIFA World Cup The 1958 FIFA World Cup, the sixth staging of the World Cup, was hosted by Sweden from 8 June to 29 June. The tournament was won by Brazil, who beat Sweden 5–2 in the final for their first title. To date, this marks the only occasion that a World Cup staged in Europe was not won by a European... , 1962 1962 FIFA World Cup The 1962 FIFA World Cup, the seventh staging of the World Cup, was held in Chile from 30 May to 17 June. It was won by Brazil, who retained the championship by beating Czechoslovakia 3–1 in the final... , 1970 1970 FIFA World Cup The 1970 FIFA World Cup, the ninth staging of the World Cup, was held in Mexico, from 31 May to 21 June. The 1970 tournament was the first World Cup hosted in North America, and the first held outside South America and Europe. In a match-up of two-time World Cup champions, the final was won by... , 1994 1994 FIFA World Cup The 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in nine cities across the United States from June 17 to July 17, 1994. The United States was chosen as the host by FIFA on July 4, 1988... , 2002 2002 FIFA World Cup The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0... ) |
|
Confederation qualification processes
The Executive Committee decided to approve the change of date for the preliminary draw of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, which was held six months earlier than in the past, in order to allow the confederations to begin their qualifying competitions in good time. The draw was held on 30 July 2011 at the Marina da Glória in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.The distribution by confederation for the 2014 World Cup will be:
- Europe (UEFAUEFAThe Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....
): 13 places - Africa (CAFConfederation of African FootballThe Confederation of African Football is the administrative and controlling body for African association football.CAF represents the national football associations of Africa, runs continental, national, and club competitions, and controls the prize money, regulations and media rights to those...
): 5 places - Asia (AFCAsian Football ConfederationThe Asian Football Confederation is the governing body of association football in Asia. It has 46 member countries, mostly located on the Asian continent. However, due to the disputed boundary of Europe and Asia, nations such as Russia and Turkey which are located mostly in geographic Asia are...
): 4 or 5 places - South America (CONMEBOLCONMEBOLThe South American Football Confederation , commonly known as CONMEBOL , is the continental governing body of association football in South America and it is one of FIFA's six continental confederations...
) 4 or 5 places (+ Brazil qualified automatically as host nation for a total of 5 or 6 places) - North, Central American and Caribbean (CONCACAFCONCACAFThe Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football is the continental governing body for association football in North America, Central America and the Caribbean...
): 3 or 4 places - Oceania (OFCOceania Football ConfederationThe Oceania Football Confederation is one of the six continental confederations of international association football, consisting of Papua New Guinea, New Zealand and island nations such as Tonga, Fiji and other Pacific Island countries...
): 0 or 1 place
UEFA and CAF have a guaranteed number of places, whereas the number of qualifiers from other confederations is dependent on play-offs between Asia's fifth-placed team and CONMEBOL's fifth-placed team, and between CONCACAF's fourth-placed team and Oceania's first-placed team. A draw determined the pairings between the four teams involved.
Summary of qualification
| Legend for Confederation Standings |
|---|
| Confederation qualification yet to start |
| Confederation qualification to be completed |
| Confederation qualification completed (except for inter-confederation playoffs) |
| Confederation qualification completed |
| Confederation | Teams started | Teams that have secured qualification | Teams that can still qualify | Teams that have been eliminated | Remaining places in finals | Total places in finals | Qualifying end date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AFC 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC) The Asian Football Confederation section of the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification sees teams competing for berths in the final tournament in Brazil... |
43 | 0 | 14 | 29 | 4 or 5 | 4 or 5 | 10 September 2013 |
| CAF 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF) The Confederation of African Football section of the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification sees teams competing for berths in the final tournament in Brazil.-Format:... |
52 | 0 | 40 | 12 | 5 | 5 | 19 November 2013 |
| CONCACAF 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONCACAF) The CONCACAF qualification for the 2014 FIFA World Cup will see teams competing for places at the finals in Brazil.As in recent tournaments, CONCACAF will have three direct qualifiers for the finals tournament in addition to a further possible place via the inter-confederation play-offs against the... |
35 | 0 | 12 | 23 | 3 or 4 | 3 or 4 | 15 October 2013 |
| CONMEBOL 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONMEBOL) The South American Zone of 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification sees nine teams competing for places in the finals which are to be held in Brazil.-Format:The format for CONMEBOL's 2014 World Cup qualifying tournament is identical to the previous four editions... |
9+1 | 0+1 | 9 | 0 | 4 or 5 | 4+1 or 5+1 | 15 October 2013 |
| OFC 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification (OFC) The OFC qualification for the 2014 FIFA World Cup will see teams competing for places at the finals in Brazil.-Format:The initial format was scheduled to begin in August 2011 at the 2011 Pacific Games in Noumea, New Caledonia, where the men's football tournament was to double as the first stage of... |
11 | 0 | 8 | 3 | 0 or 1 | 0 or 1 | 26 March 2013 |
| UEFA 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA) The European Zone of qualification for the 2014 FIFA World Cup will see teams competing for places at the finals in Brazil. As in recent tournaments, UEFA will have 13 direct qualfiers for the finals tournaments, with the 2014 qualifiers chosen as the winners of each of nine qualifying groups as... |
53 | 0 | 53 | 0 | 13 | 13 | 19 November 2013 |
| Total | 203+1 | 0+1 | 136 | 67 | 31 | 31+1 | 19 November 2013 |
Tiebreakers
For FIFA World Cup qualifying stages the method used for separating teams level on points is the same for all Confederations, as decided by FIFA itself. If teams are even on points at the end of group play, the tied teams will be ranked by:- goal difference in all group matches
- greater number of goals scored in all group matches
- greater number of points obtained in matches between the tied teams
- goal difference in matches between the tied teams
- greater number of goals scored in matches between the tied teams
- greater number of away goals scored in matches between the tied teams if only two teams are tied
If teams are still equal then a single play-off at a neutral venue will be played. If scores are level after 90 minutes in the play-off, then two 15-minutes periods of extra time and (if required) a penalty shoot-out would determine the winner.
AFC
Qualification began with two sets of two-leg knockout qualification rounds – the first held on 29 June and 2 July and 3 July 2011 and the second on 23 and 28 July – reducing the number of teams in the main draw to 20. As in the 2010 format, the third stage consists of 5 groups of 4 teams (with matches held between September 2011 and February 2012) with the top 2 in each group advancing to 2 groups of 5 that will play a further group stage during 2012. The top two teams in each group qualify for the 2014 finals directly, with the two third-placed teams engaging in a play-off tie for a chance to qualify via a further inter-confederation qualifying tie against a team from CONMEBOL.The draw for the first two rounds of qualifiers was held in Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...
on 30 March 2011.
The qualification process began with 43 national teams vying for four and a half spots. As of 15 November 2011, 29 nations have been eliminated, leaving 14 teams still in contention.
Current stage (Third Round)
| Group A |
Group B |
Group C |
| Group D |
Group E |
CAF
Fifty two out of the 53 national associations affiliated to CAF will take part in the qualifying series to determine the continent’s five slots for the next World Cup. The proposed format, announced on 16 May 2011, began with a first round of 12 two-legged knockout ties, which were held between 11 and 16 November 2011. The ties involved the 24 lowest-ranked teams according to FIFA world rankings. The 12 winners will join the remaining 28 CAF entrants in the second round, which will consist of 10 groups of four. The winners of each group – held between June 2012 and September 2013 – will advance to a third round of 5 two-legged knockout ties. The five winners of these ties – held in October and November 2013 – will advance to the 2014 FIFA World Cup finals.The qualification process began with 52 national teams vying for five spots. As of 16 November 2011, 12 nations have been eliminated, leaving 40 teams still in contention.
Current stage (Second Round)
| Group A |
Group B |
Group C |
| Group D |
Group E |
Group F |
| Group G |
Group H |
Group I |
| Group J |
CONCACAF
In May 2010, the CONCACAF Executive Committee announced a possible change in its qualifying format for the 2014 World Cup, which would start with a preliminary knockout stage followed by three group phases. However, these proposals have since been abandoned. CONCACAF is currently planning to once again use a six-team final stage (known colloquially as "the Hexagonal"). The ten lowest-ranked nations played two-legged ties, with the five winners joining the nations ranked 7–25 in Round 2. There were six groups of four teams, and the six group winners will join the nations ranked 1–6 in Round 3. There will be three groups of four teams and the top two teams in each group advance to Round 4. The six nations will form one group with the top three nations qualifying and the fourth-placed team advancing to the inter-continental play-off against the top team from the OFC.35 national teams began the qualification process vying for three and a half spots. As of 15 November 2011, 22 nations have been eliminated and the Bahamas
Bahamas national football team
The Bahamas national football team is the national team of the Bahamas and is controlled by the Bahamas Football Association.-World Cup record:*1930 to 1994 – Did not enter*1998 – Withdrew*2002 to 2010 – Did not qualify*2014 – Withdrew...
have withdrawn, leaving 12 nations still in contention.
Current stage (Third Round)
| Group A |
Group B |
Group C |
CONMEBOL
As the host nation, BrazilBrazil national football team
The Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the...
has qualified automatically. The remaining nine teams will play in a single league, commencing in October 2011, consisting of two matches between each nation. The top four teams will qualify for the World Cup, whilst the fifth placed team will proceed to the inter-confederational play-offs against a team from AFC.
OFC
The four lowest-ranked nations (American Samoa, Cook IslandsCook Islands national football team
The Cook Islands national football team is the national team of the Cook Islands and is controlled by the Cook Islands Football Association. With a population of around 24,000 people it remains one of the smallest FIFA teams.-World Cup record:...
, Samoa
Samoa national football team
The Samoa national association football team represents Samoa in association football and is controlled by the Football Federation Samoa, the governing body for football in Samoa. Samoa's home ground is Toleafoa J.S Blatter Soccer Stadium in Apia. It was known as the Western Samoa national...
, and Tonga
Tonga national football team
The Tonga national football team is the national team of Tonga and is controlled by the Tonga Football Association.-Football in Tonga:Tonga's greatest football triumph to date was their triumph in the first ever Polynesian Cup held in 1993 over Samoa and the Cook Islands...
) competed in the first round of qualifying: a single round-robin tournament in Apia, Samoa
Samoa
Samoa , officially the Independent State of Samoa, formerly known as Western Samoa is a country encompassing the western part of the Samoan Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. It became independent from New Zealand in 1962. The two main islands of Samoa are Upolu and one of the biggest islands in...
, from 22–26 November 2011. The winner of the group, Samoa
Samoa national football team
The Samoa national association football team represents Samoa in association football and is controlled by the Football Federation Samoa, the governing body for football in Samoa. Samoa's home ground is Toleafoa J.S Blatter Soccer Stadium in Apia. It was known as the Western Samoa national...
, joined the remaining 7 OFC teams in the 2012 OFC Nations Cup
2012 OFC Nations Cup
---------Group B:---------Knockout stage:The group winners and runner-ups will compete in a single elimination knockout stage. The winner of this knockout stage earns a place in the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup. These same four teams compete in a separate event for the OFC third round of qualifying...
, which will also double as the second qualifying round. The four semi-finalists of the Nations Cup will advance to Round Three, consisting of a double round-robin held on a home-and-away basis, which will take place between 7 September 2012 and 26 March 2013.
The winner of round three will then compete in a two-legged play-off against a team from CONCACAF for the right to play in the 2014 FIFA World Cup finals.
Eleven national teams began this qualification process vying for half a place. As of 26 November 2011, 3 nations have been eliminated, leaving 8 teams still in contention.
Current stage (Second Round)
The winner of the First Round group stage, Samoa, advanced to the 2012 OFC Nations Cup2012 OFC Nations Cup
---------Group B:---------Knockout stage:The group winners and runner-ups will compete in a single elimination knockout stage. The winner of this knockout stage earns a place in the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup. These same four teams compete in a separate event for the OFC third round of qualifying...
, which serves as the second round of qualifying for the 2014 FIFA World Cup
2014 FIFA World Cup
The 2014 FIFA World Cup will be the 20th FIFA World Cup, an international association football tournament that will take place in Brazil from 12 June to 13 July 2014....
. The four semi-finalists from this tournament will advance to the Third Round.
| Group A |
Group B |
UEFA
The European qualification games will start in August 2012 after Euro 2012.All 53 national associations affiliated with UEFA will take part in the qualification process, with thirteen qualifying places up for grabs. There will be eight groups of six teams and a single group of five teams. The nine group winners qualify, while the eight best runners-up – ranked according to all their games except for games against the sixth-placed team in their group – will play-off for the four remaining spots.
Current stage (First Round)
| Group A 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group A The 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification UEFA Group A is a UEFA qualifying group for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The group comprises Croatia, Serbia, Belgium, Scotland, Macedonia and Wales.The group winners will qualify directly for the 2014 FIFA World Cup... |
Group B 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group B The 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification UEFA Group B is a UEFA qualifying group for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The group comprises Italy, Denmark, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Armenia and Malta.The group winners will qualify directly for the 2014 FIFA World Cup... |
Group C 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group C The 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification UEFA Group C is a UEFA qualifying group for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The group comprises Germany, Sweden, Republic of Ireland, Austria, Faroe Islands and Kazakhstan.... |
| Group D 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group D The 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification UEFA Group D is a UEFA qualifying group for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The group comprises Netherlands, Turkey, Hungary, Romania, Estonia and Andorra.The group winners will qualify directly for the 2014 FIFA World Cup... |
Group E 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group E The 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification UEFA Group E is a UEFA qualifying group for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The group comprises Norway, Slovenia, Switzerland, Albania, Cyprus and Iceland.The group winners will qualify directly for the 2014 FIFA World Cup... |
Group F 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group F The 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification UEFA Group F is a UEFA qualifying group for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The group comprises Portugal, Russia, Israel, Northern Ireland, Azerbaijan and Luxembourg.... |
| Group G 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group G The 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification UEFA Group G is a UEFA qualifying group for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Comprising the group are Greece, Slovakia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Lithuania, Latvia and Liechtenstein.... |
Group H 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group H The 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification UEFA Group H is a UEFA qualifying group for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The group comprises England, Montenegro, Ukraine, Poland, Moldova and San Marino.The group winners will qualify directly for the 2014 FIFA World Cup... |
Group I 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group I The 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification UEFA Group I is a UEFA qualifying group for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The group comprises 2010 FIFA World Cup winners Spain, France, Belarus, Georgia and Finland.... |
Inter-confederation play-offs
|}|}
Top goalscorers
As of 26 November 2011, there have been 697 goals scored over 216 games, for an average of 3.23 goals per game. Players highlighted in bold are still active in the competition.11 goals Deon McCaulay
8 goals Peter Byers
Peter Byers
Peter Byers is an Antiguan international footballer who plays professionally for the Los Angeles Blues in the USL Professional Division as a striker.-Club:...
7 goals Lê Công Vinh
Le Cong Vinh
Lê Công Vinh is a Vietnamese footballer who plays for Hanoi F.C. as a striker. He is also a member of the Vietnamese national team.-Sông Lam Nghệ An:...
6 goals
Tamarley Thomas Rocky Siberie
Rocky Siberie
Richmar Siberie is a football forward playing with A.S.D. Pro Settimo & Eureka in Italy. Siberie is known in international football as Rocky.-Club career:...
Hassan Abdel-Fattah Blas Pérez
Blas Perez
Blas Antonio Miguel Pérez Ortega is a professional footballer who currently plays for Indios de Ciudad Juárez. He is nicknamed Super Ratón. He is a distant cousin to Portland Timbers midfielder Miguel Guante....
Park Chu-Young
Park Chu-Young
Park Chu-Young is a South Korean footballer who plays for Arsenal in the Premier League and is the current captain for the South Korea national team.-Youth career:...
5 goals
Lesly St. Fleur Erick Ozuna
Erick Ozuna
Erick Ozuna is a Dominican Republic footballer who currently plays for the Dominican Republic national football team.-External links:*...
Jean-Eudes Maurice
Jean-Eudes Maurice
Jean-Eudes Maurice is a French-born Haitian footballer. He currently plays for the French club Lens on loan from Paris Saint-Germain in Ligue 2.-Career:...
Shinji Okazaki
Shinji Okazaki
Shinji Okazaki is a Japanese football player currently playing for VfB Stuttgart of the German Bundesliga.-Career:...
Luis Suárez
Luis Suárez (Uruguayan footballer)
Luis Alberto Suárez Díaz , commonly known as Luis Suárez and nicknamed "El Pistolero" , is a Uruguayan footballer who plays for Liverpool and the Uruguayan national team...
External links
- 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil matches and results at FIFAFIFAThe Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
.com - Live Preliminary Draw