The 2014 World Cup in Brazil is less than seven months away and as each of the 32 teams make their final preparations heading into the biggest sporting event in the world, FIFA is preparing for the highly anticipated draw that will place each team into one of the eight opening groups. International squads including defending champion Spain, 2010 runner-up Netherlands, host Brazil and a handful of other teams have high expectations heading into the tournament and while these clubs will certainly be viewed as favorites, there are no guarantees for advancement because it is not yet known what Groups A through H will look like.
With the four pots recently announced, fans were given an idea of how each team will be handled when it comes time to begin the draw process. Pot 1 includes a total of eight international teams with those squads serving as the only ranked members in the field. Pot No. 2 holds African and South American teams including Ivory Coast, Ghana and Cameroon while Pot 3 holds members from Asian nations and CONCACAF. The United States, Mexico, Japan and Australia will all be selected out of this pool while the fourth and final pot holds selections from the remaining European nations such as England, Netherlands, Portugal and Bosnia.
This year's draw is set for Friday, December 6 at 11:30am, ET with the events taking place at the Costa do Sauipe Resort in Mata de Sao Joao, Bahia, Brazil. With a high level of interest held for one of the most intriguing moments in professional soccer, fans of the sport will undoubtedly be drawn to their computers and TV sets as their international clubs are placed into one of the eight World Cup groups. The first step in the process will be balancing out each of the four pots since an uneven number exists within Pots 2 and 4. Drawing one ticket out from Pot 4 (nine European teams) and placing it into Pot 2 (7 African/South American teams) will give each pot an even number of eight international teams.
Wanting each person from FIFA and the millions more watching from home to be familiar with the draw process ahead of Friday's selection, FIFA.com outlined the full details on how the 32 teams are spread across the eight group field.
2014 World Cup Draw Procedures - FIFA.com
1. In order to create an even flow to the draw as Pots 1-4 are emptied, we begin by drawing one ball from Pot 4 (containing a European team) and placing it into Pot 2 to achieve an equal balance of eight teams in each pot
2. Pot 1 will then be emptied beginning with Brazil; teams will be allocated to position 1 of Groups A through H sequentially
3. With the addition of the European team to Pot 2, Pot 2 will contain teams from three different qualification zones. With teams from three zones in the same pot, we increase the risk of inadvertently violating the principle of geographic separation. In order to ensure we do not mistakenly end up with three European teams in the same Group, the following mechanism will be implemented:
a. The four seeded South American teams will be placed in an ancillary pot - Pot X
b. One of the four teams will be drawn
c. The Group of the South American which is drawn will determine the Group which the European team from Pot 2 will join Final Draw Procedures
4. Pot 2 will then be emptied, beginning with the European ball:
- The European team will join Group of South American team drawn from Pot X
- The remaining teams will be allocated to Groups A through H sequentially
(Note: Groups may be skipped to respect principle of geographic separation; e.g. Chile and Ecuador may not be drawn into Groups with seeded South American teams)
5. Pots 3 and 4 will then be emptied in order
6. The positions within Groups A through H will be drawn for all teams of Pots 2, 3 and 4.
2014 World Cup Draw - DATE, TIME, TV & STREAM INFO
DATE: Friday, December 6
TIME: 11:30am, ET
TV COVERAGE: ESPN2, Univision
LIVE STREAM: CLICK HERE or CLICK HERE
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