Brazil 2014 World Cup Betting

Year: 2014

Participants: 32

The preliminary competition of the 2014 FIFA World Cup will start in Couva, Trinidad, on 15 June 2011, with Montserrat welcoming Belize to the Ato Boldon Stadium. This encounter kicks off the lengthiest football tournament in the world, with no fewer than 832 matches expected to be played across the six confederations to determine which 31 of the 203 participating countries will be battling for Planet Football’s most coveted crown alongside automatically qualified hosts Brazil in June/July 2014. Bhutan, Guam, Mauritania and Brunei Darrussalam have not registered for the competition.

Preliminary qualification rounds will be held in the North, Central America and Caribbean region and in the Asian Zone in June and July. 180 associations will then be drawn by lots in the Preliminary Draw on 30 July in Rio de Janeiro in five of the confederations, namely AFC, CAF, CONCACAF; OFC and UEFA. No lots will be drawn for South America, where the qualifying round will be played in a league system according to CONMEBOL’s match schedule.The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking of 27 July 2011 will be used for the continental draws, with the exception of CONCACAF, who have already used the March 2011 rankings for the first round of the preliminary competition in that region.

There had been no changes with regard to the allocation of places at Brazil 2014. As the FIFA Executive Committee confirmed at the beginning of March, Europe will receive 13 places, Africa 5, South America 4.5, Asia 4.5, North, Central America and the Caribbean 3.5 and Oceania 0.5. There will however be a change in the determination of the opponents for the play-offs between confederations. A draw will take place at a press conference following the meeting of the 2014 FIFA World Cup BrazilOrganizing Committee on 29 July 2011 in Rio.

2014 World Preliminary Rounds

Africa

The continent’s 52 member associations will play for five available spots at the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The 24 lowest-ranked teams will contest Round 1, which will be played in November 2011.

Asia

A total of 4.5 spots are available for the 43 Asian teams. The 38 lowest-ranked teams will play two preliminary rounds in June and July 2011.

Europe

All 53 European member associations will participate in the Preliminary Campaign for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The qualifiers will consist of nine groups, beginning in September 2012 with 13 teams qualifying for the finals in Brazil.

North, Central America and Caribbean

3.5 spots will be up for grabs for the region’s 35 teams. The ten lowest ranked member associations will contest Round 1 in June and July 2011.

Oceania

Eleven teams will battle it out for the right to play-off for a place at the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The 2011 Pacific Games will serve as Round 1, with every team apart from New Zealand playing in New Caledonia in August and September 2011.

South America

With Brazil automatically qualified as hosts, the remaining nine member associations will play each other on a home and away basis for 4.5 spots between October 2011 and September 2013.