World Cup 2014 | What do the stars on the jersey mean?

Have you noticed that certain teams in the World Cup have stars over the international badge of their jersey?

These stars represent the amount of times a country’s team has won the world cup.  Below are the list of winners and their respective badges.

World Cup Stars on Jerseys

BRAZIL : 5 Stars
YEARS WON: 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002

 

ITALY : 4 Stars (Inside the crest)
YEARS WON: 1934, 1938, 1982, 2006

 

GERMANY : 3 Stars
YEARS WON: 1954, 1974, 1990

 

ARGENTINA : 2 Stars
YEARS WON: 1978, 1986

 

URUGUAY: 4 Stars*  (Inside the crest)
YEARS WON: 1924*, 1928*, 1930, 1950
*(Olympic football titles 1924 & 1928 recognized as FIFA World Championships)

 

FRANCE: 1 Star
YEAR WON: 1998

 

ENGLAND: 1 Star
YEAR WON: 1966

 

SPAIN: 1 Star + Patch for 2010
YEAR WON: 2010
    

 

 

 

OTHER  Stars on Jerseys

Some of the African teams include stars above their international crests for the number of times they won the African Cup of Nations

Ghana : 4 Stars
African Cup of Nations Winner: 1963, 1965, 1978, 1982

 

Cameroon : 4 Stars
African Cup of Nations Winner: 1984, 1988, 2000, 2002

 

Ivory Coast : 1 Star
African Cup of Nations Winner: 1992

World Cup 2014 Round of 16 Knockout Stage Summary

This world cup has been one of the most exciting I have seen.  Extra Time was almost expected and every match was a battle to the end.  The next quarter-finals round is going to be a thriller, I can’t wait.

World cup 2014 Round of 16 Knockout Game Summaries

BRAZIL 1 – 1 CHILE
Penalty Shoot Out (Brazil 3-2 Chile)

This game was millimeters away from going to Chile.  Both with a chance in the closing moments and a last penalty shot off the inside post.  Brazil’s Julio Cesar saved his team, redeeming himself from his performance at the last world cup.  Brazil are not cruising to the final like everyone thought they would.  I would not be surprised to see them lose to Columbia in the next round.

 

NETHERLANDS 2 – 1 MEXICO
         
Mexico’s keeper Ochoa did everything he could, but a rocket from Sneijder tied the game and a flop(I don’t want to call it a “dive” because there was the slightest bit of contact made) from Robben earned them a penalty which won the game for the Dutch.  So far Netherlands has played much better than I thought they would, primarily because Robben still has the energy.

 

COLUMBIA 2 – 0 URUGUAY

Uruguay were toothless as James Rodriguez scored what may be the goal of the tournament.  Columbia go on to play Brazil and don’t be surprised if they defeat the hosts in the next round.

 

COAST RICA 1 – 1 GREECE
Penalty Shoot Out (Costa Rica 5 – 3 Greece)

Costa Rica continue to be the Cinderella of the tournament.  Costa Rica went down to 10 men in the 66th minute when Duarte was shown red, but they held on all the way through extra time.  A great show of penalty shots ended with Costa Rica putting every one in the back of the net.  Greece should have taken the game in the 90 minutes but it was not their day.

 

FRANCE 2 – 0 NIGERIA

Nigeria battled hard but the French overtook them in the last 20 minutes.  They continue to impress and will make for a tough game when they meet Germany in the next round.

 

GERMANY 2 – 1 ALGERIA
Extra Time

Another game that required extra time to decide the winner.  Germany struck early in extra time when Schurrle put it in with a cheeky shot and Ozil sealed it in the 120th minute.  Algeria did pull one back a minute after, but it was too late.  The Germans will have their hands full when they take on France.

 

ARGENTINA 1 – 0 SWITZERLAND
Extra Time

Extra time was almost complete and the game looked destined for penalties when Di Maria struck and stole the game for Argentina in 118th minute.  The Swiss did everything they could to get an equalizer.  A last second attempt went off the post, and the game ended.  They fought hard and can go home proud.

 

BELGIUM 2 – 1 USA
Extra Time

Tim Howard had a record-equaling 16 saves and the performance of his life.  For a short time Wikipedia had Tim Howard named as the US Secretary of Defense and the Tim Howard Memes began.  The US fought all the way to the end with a goal from substitute youngster Julian Green and an awesome free kick play by the US almost got them the equalizer.

In the end Belgium held on and progress to face Argentina in the next round.

 

NEXT QUARTER FINAL MATCH-UPS

July 4th
BRAZIL vs COLUMBIA
FRANCE vs. GERMANY

July 5th
NETHERLANDS vs. COSTA RICA
ARGENTINA vs. BELGIUM

It’s going to be an awesome Quarter-final round you don’t want to miss.  With the USA out I am hoping for an Germany vs. Belgium final.  Who do you think will move on?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

World Cup Predictions 2014 (Mike)

The 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil is here and as with any good sports tournament(this being the greatest), comes a bracket pool. See if you can beat our predictions by joining our ESPN BRACKET GROUP | PRIZES WILL BE AWARDED .

 

MIKE’S picks for the 2014 FIFA World Cup

 

 

GROUP STAGES

GROUP A
1 BRAZIL
2 CROATIA

 

GROUP B
1 NETHERLANDS
2 SPAIN

Notes:  The defending champs take the second spot behind Netherlands.

 

GROUP C
1 JAPAN
2 COLUMBIA

Notes: Japan as underdogs rule the group and exit in the top spot.

 

GROUP D
1 URUGUAY
2 ITALY

 

GROUP E
1 FRANCE
2 HONDURAS

 

GROUP F
1 ARGENTINA
2 BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA

 

GROUP G
1 GERMANY
2 USA

Notes:  Even without Donovan the USA make it out of the group.

 

GROUP H
1 BELGIUM
2 RUSSIA

—————————————————————————————————————————–
SECOND ROUND KNOCKOUT STAGE
BRAZIL beat Spain
ITALY beat Japan
BOSNIA beat France
GERMANY beat Russia
NETHERLANDS beat Croatia
URUGUAY beat Columbia
ARGENTINA beat Honduras
BELGIUM beat USA
Notes: Early exit for the defending champs

—————————————————————————————————————————–
QUARTERFINALS
BRAZIL beat Italy
NETHERLANDS beat Uruguay
GERMANY beat Bosnia
ARGENTINA beat Belgium
—————————————————————————————————————————–
SEMIFINALS
BRAZIL beat Germany
ARGENTIAN beat Netherlands

—————————————————————————————————————————–
FINALS

BRAZIL beat Argentina for an all South American Final

Want to see more predictions? Click on the people below to view their picks.

 

                  
KRISTIAN                            ADAM                               SIPLA THE OCTOPUS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

World Cup Predictions 2014 (Kristian)

The 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil is here and as with any good sports tournament(this being the greatest), comes a bracket pool. See if you can beat our predictions by joining our ESPN BRACKET GROUP | PRIZES WILL BE AWARDED .

 

KRISTIAN’S picks for the 2014 FIFA World Cup

GROUP STAGES

GROUP A
1 BRAZIL
2 CROATIA
Notes:

 

GROUP B
1 SPAIN
2 NETHERLANDS
Notes:

 

GROUP C
1 IVORY COAST
2 GREECE

Notes: Ivory Coast take the top spot.

 

GROUP D
1 ENGLAND
2 ITALY

Notes: England will get through to the second round.  They have some new, interesting players in the two Southampton boys, Lallana and Shaw, whom I believe could make a creative difference if they get picked to play.  Additionally, Sturridge and Sterling have had some great personal seasons.  Main weakness is the goalkeeper position, where Joe Hart hasn’t been convincing.

 

GROUP E
1 FRANCE
2 SWITZERLAND
Notes:

 

GROUP F
1 ARGENTINA
2 BOSNIS-HERZEGOVINA
Notes:

 

GROUP G
1 GERMANY
2 PORTUGAL
Notes:

 

GROUP H
1 BELGIUM
2 ALGERIA

Notes: I do (as does everyone else) think that Belgium has a shot at doing really well.  They have a young, and very dangerous team, with almost a team full of all stars in the likes of Kompany, Chadli, Hazard, Lukaku, Curtois, Dembele, Fellaini, etc.
—————————————————————————————————————————–
SECOND ROUND KNOCKOUT STAGE
BRAZIL beat Netherlands
ITALY beat Ivory Coast
FRANCE beat Bosnia
GERMANY beat Algeria
SPAIN beat Croatia
ENGLAND beat Greece
ARGENTINA beat Switzerland
BELGIUM beat Portgual
Notes: England progress!

—————————————————————————————————————————–
QUARTERFINALS
BRAZIL beat Italy
SPAIN beat England
GERMANY beat France
ARGENTINA beat Belgium
—————————————————————————————————————————–
SEMIFINALS
BRAZIL beat Germany
SPAIN beat Argentina

—————————————————————————————————————————–
FINALS

SPAIN beat Brazil and take their second in a row

Want to see more predictions? Click on the people below to view their picks.

 

                  
MIKE                                    ADAM                                     SIPLA THE OCTOPUS

 

 

World Cup 2014 Predictions (Adam)

The 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil is here and as with any good sports tournament(this being the greatest), comes a bracket pool.  See if you can beat our predictions by joining our ESPN BRACKET GROUP | PRIZES WILL BE AWARDED .

 

ADAM’S picks for the 2014 FIFA World Cup

GROUP STAGES

GROUP A
1 BRAZIL
2 CROATIA

Notes: Brazil have a good team this year and home court advantage.  They will take the top spot.  Mexico, who barely made it into the cup, are used to the climate but they get overtaken by Luka Modric’s new haircut.

 

GROUP B
1 SPAIN
2 CHILE
Notes: Spain are still very strong.  Netherlands get edged out by Chile and poor Australia crash out with losses across the board.

 

GROUP C
1 COLUMBIA
2 IVORY COAST

Notes: Drogba and the Elephants make it out of the group stage this year.  Columbia are good and will have a nice run.  Japan are a delight to watch but do not progress.

 

GROUP D
1 URUGUAY
2 ENGLAND

Notes:  As long as Suarez is playing well, Uruguay go top.  England have a good squad this year and Hodgson gets them out of a difficult group starting with a win against Italy.

 

GROUP E
1 FRANCE
2 ECUADOR
Notes: France lucked out having Switzerland in the group and if they can secure the top spot they will most likely be granted an easier second round game(against Bosnia-Herzegovina, Nigeria or Iran).  South American teams have the advantage and Ecuador make it out.

 

GROUP F
1 ARGENTINA
2 BOSNIS-HERZEGOVINA

Notes: Argentina take top spot.  Bosnia-Herzegovina struggle a little with the high temperatures but the Nigerians are so use to fixing games that they forget to stop putting in own goals.

 

GROUP G
1 GERMANY
2 USA
Notes: Germany will take top spot.  As long as USA win their first game against Ghana they will make it out.  Portugal’s performance all depends on Cristiano Ronaldo.  He has had some injuries recently so we will see.  I am going with my heart over my head on this one.  USA take second spot.

GROUP H
1 BELGIUM
2 SOUTH KOREA
Notes: Belgium should be awesome.  South Korea grind it out.
—————————————————————————————————————————–
SECOND ROUND KNOCKOUT STAGE
BRAZIL beat Chile
COLOMBIA beat England
FRANCE beat Bosnia
GERMANY beat S Korea
SPAIN beat Croatia
URUGUAY beat Ivory Coast
ARGENTINA beat Ecuador
BELGIUM beat US
Notes: England go out on PKs.

—————————————————————————————————————————–
QUARTERFINALS
BRAZIL beat Columbia
SPAIN beat Uruguay
GERMANY beat France
BELGIUM beat Argentina
Notes: Argentina is shocked by Belgium and fail to progress.

—————————————————————————————————————————–
SEMIFINALS
GERMANY beat Brazil
SPAIN beat Belgium

—————————————————————————————————————————–
FINALS

GERMANY beat Spain

Want to see more predictions?  Click on the people below to view their picks.

 

                   
MIKE                                       KRISTIAN                           SIPLA THE OCTOPUS

 

 

 

 

 

 

World Cup 2014 Predictions (Sipla the Octopus)

The 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil is here and as with any good sports tournament(this being the greatest), comes a bracket pool.  See if you can beat our predictions by joining our ESPN BRACKET GROUP | PRIZES WILL BE AWARDED .

The unfortunate passing of Paul the Octopus in 2010 left an open seat for the world’s next soccer predicting oracle.  In steps Sipla the Octopus!

SIPLA THE OCTOPUS’ picks for the 2014 FIFA World Cup

GROUP STAGES

GROUP A
1 BRAZIL
2 CROATIA
Notes: Nobody will challenge Brazil.

 

GROUP B
1 SPAIN
2 CHILE

Notes: Spain will get through the group stage because they are still Spain.  Hoping to see Robin Van Pursestrings and the Netherlands lose to Arturo Vidal’s mohawk.

 

GROUP C
1 COLOMBIA
2 IVORY COAST
Notes: Jackson Martinez will look like Godzilla against the Japanese team.

 

GROUP D
1 ITALY
2 ENGLAND

Notes:  Who will be a bigger a@#hole, Balotelli or Suarez?

 

GROUP E
1 FRANCE
2 SWITZERLAND
Notes: Don’t sleep on France this year.

 

GROUP F
1 ARGENTINA
2 BOSNIA-HERZGOVINA

Notes: This group would be interesting if only Messi and Aguero were allowed to play for Argentina.

 

GROUP G
1 GERMANY
2 PORTUGAL
Notes: As much as I would love to see the USA move on, I just don’t think they have enough to get through this year’s group of death.

 

GROUP H

1 BELGIUM
2 RUSSIA
Notes: Belgium is the new Netherlands.

—————————————————————————————————————————–

SECOND ROUND KNOCKOUT STAGE

BRAZIL beat Chile
COLOMBIA beat England
FRANCE beat Bosnia
GERMANY beat Russia
SPAIN beat Croatia
IVORY COAST beat Italy
ARGENTINA beat Switzerland
BELGIUM beat Portugal

—————————————————————————————————————————–

QUARTERFINALS

BRAZIL beat Columbia
SPAIN beat Ivory Coast
GERMANY beat France
BELGIUM beat Argentina

—————————————————————————————————————————–

SEMIFINALS

BRAZIL beat Germany
BELGIUM beat Spain
Notes: New blood beats old blood.

—————————————————————————————————————————–

FINALS

BRAZIL beat Belgium

Notes: Unless the country implodes, I just can’t see how Brazil loses on its home turf.  Belgium becomes an early favorite for 2018.

 

Want to see more predictions?  Click on the people below to view their picks.

                    
 MIKE                                KRISTIAN                             ADAM