The 2014 FIFA World Cup is Coming!

The 2014 FIFA （国际足联） World Cup （世界杯） in Brazil is a month-long football tournament which features the best players on the planet representing their countries as they battle for the ultimate prize in their sport. A total of 32 nations qualified for the World Cup and are initially divided into eight groups of four teams apiece.

世界杯 (shìjièbēi) - The football World Cup, held every four years.
国际足联 (guójìzúlián) - FIFA - International Federation of Association Football (original name in French).

The top two teams in each group qualify for knockout stages, where matches can go to extra time and a penalty shootout to decide the winner. A total of 64 games will culminate in the final in the famous Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday July 13.

The World Cup is among the world's most widely viewed sporting events; an estimated 715.1 million people watched the final match of the 2006 FIFA World Cup held in Germany. Don't miss out on this great tournament, get involved, represent your chosen nation and go for glory, and let us know which team you support on our Facebook page.

The full list of 32 nations:

Hosts: Brazil(巴西)

South America: Argentina（阿根廷）, Colombia（哥伦比亚）, Ecuador（厄瓜多尔）, Chile（智利） and Uruguay（乌拉圭）

North/Central America and Caribbean: United States（美国）, Costa Rica（哥斯达黎加）, Honduras（洪都拉斯） and Mexico（墨西哥）

Asia: Japan（日本）, Australia（澳大利亚）, Iran（爱尔兰） and South Korea（韩国）

Africa: Nigeria（尼日利亚）, Ivory Coast（科特迪瓦）, Cameroon（喀麦隆）, Ghana（加纳） and Algeria（阿尔及利亚）

Europe: Netherlands（荷兰）, Italy（意大利）, Belgium（比利时）, Switzerland（瑞士）, Germany（德国）, Russia（俄罗斯）, Bosnia and Herzegovina（塞尔维亚）, England（英国）, Spain（西班牙）, Greece（希腊）, Portugal（葡萄牙）, Croatia（克罗地亚） and France（法国）.

Group Competition （小组赛）：

小组赛 (xiǎozǔsài) - 'Small group competitions', refers to the early group stage in a major tournament.

Asia: Japan（日本）, Australia（澳大利亚）, Iran（爱尔兰） and South Korea（韩国）

Africa: Nigeria（尼日利亚）, Ivory Coast（科特迪瓦）, Cameroon（喀麦隆）, Ghana（加纳） and Algeria（阿尔及利亚）

Europe: Netherlands（荷兰）, Italy（意大利）, Belgium（比利时）, Switzerland（瑞士）, Germany（德国）, Russia（俄罗斯）, Bosnia and Herzegovina（塞尔维亚）, England（英国）, Spain（西班牙）, Greece（希腊）, Portugal（葡萄牙）, Croatia（克罗地亚） and France（法国）.