209 countries entered for the 2014 World Cup, but there was only space for just 32 teams in Brazil.
In the 19 previous World Cup Finals there had been only eight champions and they are: Brazil (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002); Italy (1934, 1938, 1982, 2006); Germany (1954, 1974,1990); Argentina (1978, 1986); Uruguay (1930, 1950); England (1966); France (1998) and Spain (2010). All eight champions played in Brazil in 2014 and with Germany winning the cup, there are still only 8 champions after the 20th tournament.
The 32 teams to qualify for the 2014 FIFA World Cup and their FIFA rankings at the time of the start of the World Cup are (in brackets is the FIFA ranking straight after the 2014 World Cup):
- Spain 1 (8) – FIFA Video
- Germany 2 (1) – FIFA Video
- Brazil 3 (7) – FIFA Video
- Portugal 4 (11) – FIFA Video
- Argentina 5 (2) – FIFA Video
- Switzerland 6 (9) – FIFA Video
- Uruguay 7 (6) – FIFA Video
- Colombia 8 (4) – FIFA Video
- Italy 9 (14) – FIFA Video
- England 10 (20) – FIFA Video
- Belgium 11 (5) – FIFA Video
- Greece 12 (13) – FIFA Video
- USA 13 (15) – FIFA Video
- Chile 14 (12) – FIFA Video
- Netherlands 15 (3) – FIFA Video
- France 17 (10) – FIFA Video
- Croatia 18 (17) – FIFA Video
- Russia 19 (23) – FIFA Video
- Mexico 20 (18) – FIFA Video
- Bosnia-Herzegovina 21 (19) – FIFA Video
- Algeria 22 (24) – FIFA Video
- Ivory Coast 23 (25) – FIFA Video
- Ecuador 26 (21) – FIFA Video
- Costa Rica 28 (16) – FIFA Video
- Honduras 33 (40) – FIFA Video
- Ghana 37 (38) – FIFA Video
- Iran 43 (49) – FIFA Video
- Nigeria 44 (34) – FIFA Video
- Japan 46 (45) – FIFA Video
- Cameroon 56 (53)- FIFA Video
- South Korea 57 (56) – FIFA Video
- Australia 62 (76) – FIFA Video
To view the team World Cup squads CLICK HERE
EUROPE
Belgium, Bosnia Herzegovina, Croatia, England, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Switzerland
SOUTH AMERICA
Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Uruguay
NORTH & CENTRAL AMERICA
Costa Rica, Honduras, Mexico, United States
AFRICA
Algeria, Cameroon, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nigeria
ASIA
Australia, Iran, Japan, South Korea
Of the 32 teams that played in Brazil, 24 of them were returning after the previous tournament in South Africa in 2010, which means eight teams in South Africa weren’t in Brazil, but eight teams new teams were in Brazil. New since South Africa were Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina (making its first World Cup finals appearance), Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Ecuador, Iran and Russia. Those to miss the boat from South Africa included South Africa itself as well as Denmark, New Zealand, North Korea, Paraguay, Serbia, Slovakia and Slovenia.
How the 32 teams have done over all the previous World Cups. Bosnia is playing in its first cup.
Group A
Brazil, Croatia, Mexico, Cameroon
Group B
Spain, Netherlands, Chile, Australia
Group C
Colombia, Greece, Ivory Coast, Japan
Group D
Uruguay, Costa Rica, England, Italy
Group E
Switzerland, Ecuador, France, Honduras
Group F
Argentina, Bosnia-Hercegovina, Iran, Nigeria
Group G
Germany, Portugal, Ghana, USA
Group H
Belgium, Algeria, Russia, South Korea
World Cup: The Guide 