The World Cup is an amazing opportunity for teams and fans to come together and celebrate one of the greatest sports in the world. This year’s World Cup in Brazil has boasted a bigger and bolder experience than competitions of the past.

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Meet the Host Nation

Manaus - Arena da Amazônia (39,573 seats)

Fortaleza - Arena Castelão (57,747 seats)

Natal - Arena das Dunas (39,304 seats)

Recife - Arena Pernambuco (40,604 seats)

Salvador - Arena Fonte Nova (49,280 seats)

Cuiaba - Arena Pantanal (39,553 seats)

Brasilia - Estádio Nacional de Brasilia (65,702 seats)

Belo Horizonte - Mineirão (56,091 seats)

Rio de Janeiro - Maracanã (71,159 seats)

Sao Paolo - Arena de São Paulo (59,955 seats)

Curitiba - Arena da Baixada (37,634 seats)

Porto Alegre - Estádio Beira-Rio (42,153 seats)

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2014 FIFA World Cup Facts

1. Three World Cup qualifiers have to travel more than 8,000 miles within Brazil to

complete their opening round matches at different stadiums.

• U.S.A. – 8,866 miles

• Mexico – 8,468 miles

• Italy – 8,458 miles

2. Brazil is the 5th country to host a world cup for the 2nd time.

• Mexico (1970, 1982)

• Italy (1934, 1990)

• France (1938, 1998)

• Germany (1974, 2006)

• Brazil (1950, 2014)

3. FIFA forecasts a total of 3,334,524 tickets for the tournament.

• 1.1 million sold to general public

• 266,761 reserved for competing fans

• 1,967,763 distributed to commercial affiliates, hospitality clients, media

rights holders, and VIPs.

4. FIFA received a record number of 152,101 volunteer applications, which is

double that of previous years.

• 2010 World Cup in South Africa (70,000)

• 2006 World Cup in Germany (45,000)

5. The 2014 World Cup is the most expensive World Cup on record with an

estimated cost of $14-16 billion (U.S.). Costs of the previous five World Cups:

• 1994 U.S.A. = $30 million

• 1998 France = $340 million

• 2002 Japan/South Korea = $5 billion

• 2006 Germany = $6 billion

• 2010 South Africa = $4 billion

6. There’s money in that cup! The winning team gets $35 million, and the runner up

receives $25 million.

7. Revolutionary 14-camera goal-line technology will be implemented for the first

time in history

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Stars of the Cup

Lionel Messi

- Position - Striker

- National Team - Argentina

- Club Team - FC Barcelona

- Appearances for national team - 83

- Notable Accolades – Four-time World Player of the Year

- Lionel Messi is one of the best players on the planet, mesmerizing defenders

with a mix of skill and speed.

According to Pluri Consultoria, Lionel Messi is the most expensive player participating

in this year’s World Cup with a market value of about $188 million. In second place is

Cristiano Ronaldo with a market value of about $141 million, and Neymar completes the

top 3 with a market value of $91 million.

Luis Suarez

- Position – Striker

- National Team - Uruguay

- Club Team - Liverpool FC

- Appearances for national team - 77

- Notable Accolades - Premier League Player of the Season in 2014

- Arguably the best striker in the world, Suarez has excellent technical abilities

and a tenacious will to win.

Cristiano Ronaldo

- Position – Winger

- National Team – Portugal

- Club Team – Real Madrid

- Appearances for national team – 110

- Notable Accolades – Two-time World Player of the Year

- As the reigning World Player of the Year (Ballon d'Or), Ronaldo has scored

243 goals since the last world cup and combines speed with superb

technique.

Andres Iniesta

- Position – Attacking Midfielder

- National Team – Spain

- Club Team – FC Barcelona

- Appearances for national team – 94

- Notable Accolades – World Cup Champion

- Iniesta displayed his abilities during the 2010 World Cup final and was

named Player of the Tournament at the 2012 EURO.

Yaya Toure

- Position - Midfielder

- National Team - Ivory Coast

- Club Team - Manchester City FC

- Appearances for national team - 82

- Notable Accolades – Three-time African Footballer of the Year

- Toure collected the last 2 African Player of the Year awards and is looking to

lead the Ivory Coast past the round of 16.

Paul Pogba

- Position - Midfielder

- National Team - France

- Club Team - Juventus FC

- Appearances for national team - 9

- Notable Accolades - 2013 Golden Boy award winner

- Offering high energy and a feisty demeanor, Pogba possesses outstanding

skills, even more impressive given that he is only 21 years old.

Eden Hazard

- Position - Attacking Midfielder

- National Team - Belgium

- Club Team - Chelsea FC

- Appearances for national team - 43

- Notable Accolades - PFA Young Player of the Year for 2014

- Eden Hazard is considered one of the best players of his generation and will

be carrying his team’s weight for what is expected to be a potent Belgian

attack.

Leighton Baines

- Position - Left Back

- National Team - England

- Club Team - Everton FC

- Appearances for national team - 22

- Notable Accolades – Three-time Everton Player of the Season

- Baines is a tough competitor , offering reliable defense and shows

outstanding growth going forward as he regularly overlaps the midfielder.

Sergio Ramos

- Club Team - Real Madrid

- Position - Center Back

- National Team - Spain

- Club Team - Real Madrid

- Appearances for national team - 115

- Notable Accolades - World Cup Champion, two-time European Champion

- Sergio Ramos is a universal defensive player, who knows how to win the ball, offers good speed, and plays well with his head.

Phillip Lahm

- Position - Right Back

- National Team - Germany

- Club Team - Bayern Munich

- Appearances for national team - 105

- Notable Accolades – Four-time UEFA Team of the Year

- Although he is equally adept at playing in the center of midfield, Lahm is

recognized as the best fullback in the world and playing at the heart of the

defense.

Tim Howard

- Position - Goal Keeper

- National Team - United States of America

- Club Team - Everton FC

- Appearances for national team - 100

- Notable Accolades - 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup Golden Glove Winner

- Howard is considered one of the best goalkeepers in the world in a long line

of great American keepers.

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Hometown Hero

Neymar da Silva Santos Jún – Brazil

- Age - 22

- Club Team - FC Barcelona

- Number of appearances for Brazil - 48

- Number of goals for Brazil - 31

There have been plenty of “New Peles” over the years to fill a warehouse, but the

weight of the country rests on this striker for the Brazilian team. The unofficial

poster boy for the World Cup, Neymar possesses the skill and personality to make

him a Brazilian legend.

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Sources:

• http://www.mlssoccer.com/worldcup/2014/teams

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_FIFA_World_Cup

• http://thebiglead.com/2014/06/11/world-cup-2014-united-states-

and-mexico-will-travel-the-farthest-spain-will-benefit-from-coolest-

temperatures/

• http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/

• http://money.cnn.com/2014/05/22/news/economy/world-cup-brazil/

• http://worldsoccertalk.com/brazil-world-cup-2014-team-preview/

• http://www.worldsoccer.com/world-cup-3

• http://www.worldcupbrazil.net/world-cup-2014/facts/#lionel-messi-is-

8216the-most-expensive-player8217-in-the-2014-world-cup

• http://grantland.com/world-cup-2014-men-in-blazers/#group-previews

• http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/05/16/uk-brazil-worldcup-poll-

economy-idUKKBN0DW1IJ20140516