Bosnia-Herzegovina World Cup 2014

How they qualified

Bosnia-Herzegovina had an outstanding campaign, winning eight of their ten matches, drawing and losing just once. A ruthless attack and resilient rearguard were the cornerstones of the side’s success, with the 30 goals scored representing the fourth-highest tally in European zone qualifying. Equally impressive was a defence that was breached just six times. Bosnia-Herzegovina’s notable goal difference proved crucial too, edging them past a Greece side that finished level on points, to secure direct passage to Brazil 2014 and a first appearance at a FIFA World Cup™.

After starting with a string of victories combined with a goalless draw in Greece, coach Safet Susic’s team’s campaign initially went according to plan. However, a 1-0 defeat at home to Slovakia in September 2013 set up a nail-biting finale for Bosnia-Herzegovina, before they pipped Greece to the post on the final matchday.

Best performance in a FIFA competition: None

Coach: Safet Susic

The key players

Bosnia-Herzegovina have a core of talented players capable of changing games in an instant, ranging from the likes of Edin Dzeko and Vedad Ibisevic up front, through midfielders Miralem Pjanic and Zvjezdan Misimovic, all the way back to defensive rock Emir Spahic and goalkeeper Asmir Begovic. The majority of the squad regularly showcase their talents in Europe’s biggest leagues, giving them the experience necessary to shine on the biggest stage of them all.

Former stars: Vahid Halilhodic, Hasan Salihamidzic, Safet Susic

Filed Under: Bosnia-Herzegovina World Cup 2014, Latest News on Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Belgium World Cup 2014

FIFA World Cup finals history 
Founding members of FIFA, Belgium have taken part in 11 FIFA World Cup™ final tournaments and were an ever-present force between 1982 and 2002. In 1998, the side coached by Georges Leekens in his first spell at the helm came third in their group and made an early exit, while in 2002 Robert Waseige’s men fell in the last 16 to eventual winners Brazil. Neither of those teams came anywhere close to matching the generation that sparkled during Mexico 1986, when they reached the semi-finals before succumbing to Argentina.

How they qualified
Having looked to be building towards something special for a number of years, Belgium finally made the breakthrough many expected, with a golden generation seemingly capable of challenging the best. Les Diables Rouges (Red Devils) proved that on the road to Brazil 2014, topping Group A ahead of the likes of Croatia, Serbia and Scotland after an almost faultless campaign. The Belgians only dropped points in an early draw against Croatia and a second stalemate in their final outing, when their finals place was already assured. They sealed their progress in their penultimate encounter, an excellent 2-1 victory in Zagreb that owed much to a double from Romelu Lukaku, one of several talents who have added a new dimension to their game since moving to the English Premier League.

Best performances in a FIFA competition: FIFA World Cup Mexico 1986 (Fourth place), Men’s Olympic Football Tournament Antwerp 1920 (Winners)

Coach: Marc Wilmots

The key players 
On paper, Belgium can call upon an armada of stars, all plying their trade in Europe’s most prestigious championships. The depth of their talent pool is striking, with Nacer Chadli threatening to eclipse crowd favourite Eden Hazard before the latter has approached anything near his peak. Romelu Lukaku, Kevin de Bruyne, Thibaut Courtois and Toby Alderweireld are the latest stars to emerge, while the likes of Vincent Kompany, Thomas Vermaelen, Axel Witsel, Marouane Fellaini and Steven Defour have already established themselves as senior figures.

Former stars: Enzo Scifo, Jean-Marie Pfaff, Marc Wilmots

Filed Under: Belgium History, Belgium World Cup 2014, Latest News on

Australia World Cup 2014

FIFA World Cup finals history 

Though a team made up entirely of amateurs secured a scoreless draw against Chile, Australia departed from the 1974 FIFA World Cup without a goal to show from their inaugural appearance. The Socceroos made up for lost time at Germany 2006 and qualified for the Round of 16 before narrowly falling to eventual champions Italy. The German theme continued at South Africa 2010 although this time Australia suffered a 4-0 loss against the European giants in a scoreline which ultimately scuppered their progress. A ten-man 1-1 draw against Ghana and a 2-1 win against Serbia saw the Aussies eliminated on goal difference, three goals off the Africans. 

How they qualified

Having cruised to the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ with two games to spare, Australia entered their second qualifying campaign for the global showpiece since joining AFC targeting a second consecutive and smooth qualification. Instead, the road to Brazil 2014 proved to be a bumpy one for the Socceroos, who had to overcome some erratic form to secure their progression.

A narrow comeback win over Thailand and a loss to Oman in the opening stage served as a warning shot, although they ultimately progressed to the next phase as group winners. Then the Australians opened the next round in miserable fashion, drawing against Oman and Japan before losing to Jordan 2-1.

Though stunned, they rallied to claw back into contention with a victory over Iraq before two draws and a 4-0 defeat of Jordan put them on the cusp of qualification. They kept their cool in the final match of the round against Iraq as substitute Josh Kennedy scored late to seal their passage through. Coach Holger Osieck was dismissed in October 2013 after successive 6-0 defeats against Brazil and France, with former Brisbane Roar, Melbourne Victory and National Youth Teams coach Ange Postecoglou appointed.

Best performances in a FIFA competition: FIFA World Cup Germany 2006 (Round of 16), FIFA U-17 World Cup New Zealand 1999 (Runners-up) 

Coach: Ange Postecoglou

The key players 

Tim Cahill remains the team’s undoubted star and talisman with a stunning goal ratio from midfield and equally remarkable heading ability despite his modest stature. Long-serving skipper and central defender Lucas Neill remains a bedrock of the team and has never let his country down regardless of domestic form. A two-goal showing at South Africa 2010 has seen Brett Holman’s profile and importance to the team take a sharp upward trajectory with the midfielder displaying versatility and an impressive short passing game. 

Former stars: Johnny Warren, Mark Viduka, Scott Chipperfield

Filed Under: Australia History, Australia World Cup 2014, Latest News on

Algeria World Cup 2014

FIFA World Cup finals history
Algeria have played in a total of three FIFA World Cup finals. They got off to the best possible start at the 1982 edition in Spain, beating West Germany 2-1 in their opening game. Despite a 3-2 victory over Chile in their final group game, an earlier 2-0 loss to Austria meant that while level on points with the latter, they were eliminated on goal difference. Mexico 1986 was less memorable for the north African side. Drawn in Group D with Brazil, Spain and Northern Ireland, two defeats and a draw left them bottom of the table and on the first flight home. Nor were things much better at South Africa 2010. Pitted against England, USA and Slovenia, they lost twice and drew their other fixture, departing the competition without a goal to their name.

How they qualified
After a so-so South Africa 2010 and a poor 2013 CAF Africa Cup of Nations, Algeria missed very few beats on their way to Brazil 2014. They won five of their six group matches to easily top what might have been a tricky section over Mali, Benin and Rwanda. Once in the final play-off round, they were unlucky to draw one of the continents form teams in Burkina Faso, who shocked Africa by finishing second at the 2013 AFCON. In that tie, they lost the first leg 3-2 to a late penalty, but just claimed the place in Brazil with a professional 1-0 win at home that gave them the advantage on away goals.

Best performances in a FIFA competition: FIFA World Cup Spain 1982, Mexico 1986, South Africa 2010 (Group stages)


Coach: Vahid Halilhodzic


The key players
Madjid Bougherra is a key figure at the back, and he scored the all-important winner in the second leg against Burkina Faso. Sofiane Feghouli is an exciting attacking midfielder, while Medhi Lacen holds things down in front of the defence. Islam Slimani emerged as the most prolific option in attack during qualifying.

Former stars: Lakhdar Belloumi, Rachid Mekhloufi, Mustapha Zitouni

Filed Under: Algeria History, Algeria World Cup 2014. Latest News on Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Argentina World Cup 2014

FIFA World Cup finals history

Argentina have contested four FIFA World Cup Finals in all, the first of them at the inaugural tournament, Uruguay 1930, when they went down 4-2 to the host nation. Respective contributions from Mario Kempes and Diego Maradona inspired them to the biggest prize in football on home soil in 1978 and again at Mexico 1986, while their last showpiece appearance came at Italy 1990, when they were denied by an Andreas Brehme penalty. Since then they have been unable to progress beyond the quarter-finals.

How they qualified  

After a 4-1 win against Chile to begin their FIFA World Cup™ qualifying campaign, Argentina then stumbled against Venezuela and drew 1-1 at home to Bolivia, which raised doubts as to whether coach Alejandro Sabella, who took over after Copa America 2011, was up to the task. La Albiceleste, however, got back on track with 2-1 win over Colombia in Barranquilla, which began Argentina's 14-match unbeaten run through the remainder of qualifying, where they finished atop the South American table. Argentina tallied 35 goals while only surrendering 15 on the way to winning the preliminary competition for the third time. The rest of South America could only chase Argentina throughout the final qualifying fixtures.

Best performances in a FIFA competition: FIFA World Cup Argentina 1978, Mexico 1986 (Winners), FIFA U-20 World Cup Japan 1979, Qatar 1995, Malaysia 1997, Argentina 2001, Netherlands 2005, Canada 2007 (Winners), FIFA Confederations Cup Saudi Arabia 1992 (Winners), Men’s Olympic Football Tournament Athens 2004, Beijing 2008 (Winners)

Coach: Alejandro Sabella

The key players

With the landmark achievement of claiming four consecutive FIFA Ballon d'Ors (2009-2012), Lionel Messi in the undisputed leader of the Argentina national team and a multiple-trophy winner with Barcelona. Breaking all kind of goal-records, La Pulga is now looking to achieve greatness with his country after failing, somewhat surprisingly, to find the back of the net at South Africa 2010. Supporting him will be an all-star cast featuring Carlos Tevez, Javier Mascherano and Angel Di Maria, all of them on top of their game with some of Europe’s leading clubs.

Former stars: Daniel Passarella, Diego Maradona, Gabriel Batistuta, Mario Kempes

Filed Under: Argentina History, Argentina World Cup 2014, Latest News on

Australia national association football team

This article is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Australia women's national association football team.

"Australia national football team" redirects here. For other uses, see Australia national football team (disambiguation).

The Australia national association football team represents Australia in international men's association football. The team is controlled by the governing body for association football in Australia, Football Federation Australia (FFA), which is currently a member of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the regional ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) since leaving the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) in 2006. The team's official nickname is the Socceroos.

Australia is a four-time OFC champion and AFC National Team of the Year for 2006. The team has represented Australia at the FIFA World Cup tournaments on three occasions, in 1974, 2006 and 2010, and will do so again at the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The team has also represented Australia at the FIFA Confederations Cup tournaments on three occasions.

Filed Under: Australia team, Latest News on

World Cup 2014: Player profile - Hector Herrera, the Mexico midfielder

The World Cup in Brazil is coming into view and everyone is hoping this summer's carnival can take its place among some of the great tournaments of the past, but who will be the star of the show?

With 67 days to go until things kick-off, check out our latest instalment of 100 players to look out for at the competition below.

67. Hector Herrera (Mexico)

Herrera hit the headlines last year when his transfer to Porto became the first big-money deal negotiated by Tony Blair’s football agent son Nicky. But there’s far more to this rangy midfielder than friends in high places. A combative, box-to-box midfielder, Herrera is equally adept at breaking up opposition moves as he is at launching attacks with his incisive range of passing. He had a breakout year in 2012, helping Mexico win the under-21 Toulon Tournament, where he was named ‘Best Player’, and then cementing his reputation with a series of excellent performances in the Olympic tournament. Herrera has struggled a little in his first season at Porto, but he is a reliable performer in the national shirt, and has the range of skills to make a real impact at this World Cup.

Did you know? Herrera is nicknamed ‘El Zorrillo’, or ‘The Skunk’.

Filed Under: Latest News, Mexico World Cup 2014 on Monday, April 7, 2014

Victor Valdés has knee surgery and is out of Spain's World Cup

The Barcelona goalkeeper Victor Valdés has undergone successful surgery on his knee injury and is expected to be sidelined for seven months, meaning he will miss the World Cup finals with Spain.

Valdés tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during Barça's 3-0 win over Celta Vigo on 26 March after landing awkwardly while saving a free-kick.

The 32-year-old Spain international had an operation in Augsburg, Germany, on Monday and Barça confirmed on their website the surgery had gone successfully.

A statement on www.fcbarcelona.com read: "Victor Valdés has been operated on this Monday morning by doctors Ulrich Boenisch and Ricard Pruna in Augsburg on his torn anterior cruciate ligament. The knee's internal cartilage has been sewn up and the operation was concluded successfully. Valdés will be out of action for approximately seven months."

Valdés will not only miss the World Cup finals in Brazil but is likely to have played his last game for Barça. The long-serving goalkeeper plans to leave the Camp Nou at the end of his contract in June.

Valdés has played 535 games for Barça since making his debut over a decade ago, and won six Primera Division titles, three Champions League crowns and two Copa del Reys among a host of other trophies. He was also part of the Spain squad who won the 2010 World Cup and 2012 European Championship.

Filed Under: Latest News, Spain World Cup 2014 on

Italy Have Always Been Complicated

Vicente del Bosque has conceded that Italy have ‘always been able to push the right buttons in order to complicate our lives.’

Spain face the Azzurri at Atletico Madrid’s Vicente Calderon on Wednesday in a friendly with less than 100 days until the World Cup.

La Roja played their European rivals twice at Euro 2012 and at the Confederations Cup, and the Coach has admitted that things have never been straightforward with Cesare Prandelli’s team.

“They are an opponent who has always been able to push the right buttons in order to complicate our lives, especially with regards to our defence,” he told Gazzetta dello Sport.

“I think of the opening of the field with Maggio and Giaccherini, the runs from central from De Rossi, Marchisio or Montolivo, the one-on-ones from Cassano and Balotelli, Pirlo’s intelligence.

“They have always been able to find ideas that have created problems, which fortunately we have always managed to overcome.

“At the start of the European Championships in Poland and Ukraine, it was not that Di Natale’s goal was the only one we conceded, Italy gave us a very tough time.

“I consider the final against Italy as the best game of my administration, I do not forget that Italy had several problems - fatigue, injury, Chiellini and Motta…

“Then there was the complicated challenge in Brazil, with additional major problems that Italy caused us, they dominated much of the game.

“How do I explain it? Italy have been world champions recently, they have good players and the Juventus block is important and tried.”

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Filed Under: Italy Complicated, Latest News on