The 2014 FIFA World Cup is scheduled to take place June 12th, 2014 thru July 13th, 2014 in Brazil. The official slogan for the 2014 FIFA World Cup is ALL IN ONE RHYTHM™. It is more than just a slogan however, it is the underlying mindset and theme that is evident throughout all levels of the event organization. Influence of the ALL IN ONE RHYTHM slogan will be seen in events such as the FIFA Fan Fest, opening and closing ceremonies, and even through various Government campaigns promoting the 2014 World Cup.

The official mascot for the 2014 FIFA World Cup is Fuleco the Armadillo – As pictured to the left. The voting process for the official 2014 World Cup Mascot was a three month long campaign that was supported by Coca-Cola. Fuleco won the voting with 48% of the vote followed by Zuzeco with 31% of the vote and Amijubi with 21% of the vote, making Fuleco the unanimous winner. One of the most important themes of the 2014 FIFA World Cup is the importance of the environment and ecology. As an Armadillo, which is a vulnerable species, the name Fuleco is a combination of the words “futebol” and “ecologia”. This combination is intended to communicate the importance of behaving in an environmentally friendly manner. (For more information about Fuleco, visit http://mascot.fifa.com/about.php)

The 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil will take place among 12 different cities in brazil, with Rio De Janeiro as the focal point, hosting 7 games at Estadio do Maracana including the 2014 FIFA World Cup Final. Below is a list of all the cities and their respective stadiums.

2014 FIFA World Cup Host Cities & Stadiums

• Belo Horizonte – Estadio Mineirao
• Brasilia – Estadio Nacional
• Cuiaba – Arena Pantanal
• Curitiba – Arena Da Baixada
• Fortaleza – Estadio Catelao
• Manaus – Arena Amazonia
• Natal – Estadio Das Dunas
• Porto Alegre – Estadio Beira-Rio
• Recife – Arena Pernambuco
• Rio de Janeiro – Estadio Jornalista Mario Filho (Commonly known as Estadio do Marcana)
• Salvador – Arena Fonte Nova
• Sao Paulo – Arena De Sao Paulo

On Thursday, September 27th, 2012, the FIFA Executive Committee convened to finalize the 2014 FIFA World Cup match schedule. On June 12th, 2014 at 17:00 local time, the opening match of the 2014 World Cup will take place in Sao Paulo. Group stage games will start at 13:00, 15:00, 16:00, 17:00, 18:00, 19:00 and 21:00 (All Local Times). Knock-out stage matches will begin at 13:00 and 17:00, Semi-Final matches will be played at 17:00 and the 2014 FIFA World Cup Final will be played on July 13th, 2014 at 16:00 in the Maracana stadium.

2014 FIFA World Cup Preliminary Draw

The Preliminary draw for the 2014 FIFA World Cup took place on Saturday July 30, 2011. The preliminary draw determines the matchups for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. These matches will be held in the next few years leading up to the World Cup.

Intercontinental play-offs
Asia – South America
North, Central America and the Caribbean – Oceania

African Zone Draw
Group A: South Africa, Botswana, Central African Republic, Somalia or Ethiopia
Group B: Tunisia, Cape Verde Islands, Sierra Leone, Equatorial Guinea or Madagascar
Group C: Côte d’Ivoire, Morocco, Gambia, Chad or Tanzania
Group D: Ghana, Zambia, Sudan, Lesotho or Burundi
Group E: Burkina Faso, Gabon, Niger, Sao Tome e Principe or Congo
Group F: Nigeria, Malawi, Seychelles or Kenya, Djibouti or Namibia
Group G: Egypt, Guinea, Zimbabwe, Comoros or Mozambique
Group H: Algeria, Mali, Benin, Eritrea or Rwanda
Group I: Cameroon, Libya, Guinea-Bissau or Togo, Swaziland or Congo DR
Group J: Senegal, Uganda, Angola, Mauritius or Liberia

Asian Zone Draw
Group A: China, Jordan, Iraq, Singapore
Group B: Korea Republic, Kuwait, UAE, Lebanon
Group C: Japan, Uzbekistan, Syria, Korea DPR
Group D: Australia, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Thailand
Group E: Iran, Qatar, Bahrain, Indonesia

North, Central America and the Caribbean Zone Draw (Round Two)
Group A: El Salvador, Surinam, Cayman Islands, Dominican Republic
Group B: Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Barbados, Bermuda
Group C: Panama, Dominica, Nicaragua, Bahamas
Group D: Canada, St. Kitts and Nevis, Puerto Rico, St Lucia
Group E: Grenada, Guatemala, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize
Group F: Haiti, Antigua and Barbuda, Curacao, US Virgin Islands

North, Central America and the Caribbean Zone Draw (Round Three)
Group A: USA, Jamaica, Winner of R2 Grp E, Winner of R2 Grp F
Group B: Mexico, Costa Rica, Winner of R2 Grp A, Winner of R2 Grp B
Group C: Honduras, Cuba, Winner of R2 Grp D, Winner of R2 Grp C

Oceanian Zone Draw
Group A: Vanuatu, New Caledonia, American Samoa/Cook Islands/Samoa or Tonga, Tahiti
Group B: Fiji, New Zealand, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea

European Zone Draw
Group A: Croatia, Serbia, Belgium, Scotland, Macedonia, Wales
Group B: Italy, Denmark, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Armenia, Malta.
Group C: Germany, Sweden, Republic of Ireland, Austria, Faroe Islands, Kazakhstan.
Group D: Netherlands, Turkey, Hungary, Romania, Estonia, Andorra.
Group E: Norway, Slovenia, Switzerland, Albania, Cyprus, Iceland.
Group F: Portugal, Russia, Israel, Northern Ireland, Azerbaijan, Luxembourg
Group G: Greece, Slovakia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Lithuania, Latvia, Lichtenstein
Group H: England, Montenegro, Ukraine, Poland, Moldova, San Marino
Group I: Spain, France, Belarus, Georgia, Finland