No matter where you go in Miami, you’re bound to see some evidence that the FIFA World Cup 2014, arguably the biggest sport event in the world, is underway. At a bit of a loss about the World Cup, and the sport in general? Don’t worry, here are some interesting facts about both for the novice fan!
1. FIFA stands for The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (in English, the International Federation of Association Football). It is the governing body for all sports soccer related, including association football, futsal and beach soccer. This organization coordinates all international competitions, including the World Cup.
2. The World Cup has qualifying tournaments until it narrows it down to 32 international teams, when the Cup actually begins. The teams are put into groups and then each group plays a round robin style tournament. The top two teams from each group move on to the next round, a knockout stage. The knockout stage is a single-elimination tournament in which teams play each other in one-off matches followed by quarter-finals, the semi-finals, the third-place match (contested by the losing semi-finalists), and the final.
3. Points are used to rank the teams within a group. The ranking of each team in each group is determined as follows:
• Greatest number of points in group matches
• Greatest goal difference in group matches
• Greatest number of goals scored in group matches
If more than one team remain level after applying the above criteria, their ranking will be determined as follows:
• Greatest number of points in head-to-head matches among those teams
• Greatest goal difference in head-to-head matches among those teams
• Greatest number of goals scored in head-to-head matches among those teams
If any of the teams above remain level after applying the above criteria, their ranking will be determined by the drawing of lots.
4. The World Cup has been awarded every four years since its initial event in 1930, except in 1942 and 1946 when it was not held because of World War II.
5. The 19 World Cup tournaments have been won by eight different national teams. Brazil have won five times; Italy, with four titles; West Germany, with three titles; Argentina and Uruguay, with two titles each; and England, France, and Spain, with one title each.
6. The World Cup surpasses even the Olympics in viewers and is the most extensively viewed and followed sporting event in the world.
It’s easy to get caught up in all the excitement, but as always we encourage you to drive safe and responsibly. To speak to a Miami Traffic Ticket Lawyer, contact Hochman & Goldin PA by calling 305-665-1000.