As expectations for the commencement of the biggest soccer tournament in the world is getting high, we hope to enlighten you with interesting/fascinating facts about the 2014 Brazil World Cup.

The process of organizing a World Cup always creates interesting developments, new records and historic facts, that’s why in this week’s edition of Sport Mania we bring you the most intriguing of these facts.

The World cup tournament was first televised in 1954 and is the most widely watched sporting event in the world with over a billion people tuning in to watch 32 countries battle it out at different venues in the host country to lift the much coveted FIFA trophy.

An estimated 715.1 million people watched the final match of the 2006 FIFA World Cup held in Germany and the 2010 event in South Africa was broadcast to 204 countries on 245 different channels. Inside the stadiums, a total of 3,170,856 spectators attended the 64 matches an average of 49,670 per match and the third highest aggregate attendance behind USA 1994 and Germany 2006.

The competition has been played every four years since the inaugural tournament in 1930, except in 1942 and 1946 when it was not held because of the Second World War.

The 19 FIFA World Cup tournaments have been won by eight different national teams. Brazil have won five times, and they are the only team to have played in every tournament. The other winners are Italy, with four titles; Germany, with three wins; Argentina and inaugural winners Uruguay, with two; and England, France, and Spain, with one title each.

The 2014 World Cup will be hosted by Brazil and kicks off June 12, Russia in 2018, and Qatar in 2022.

The World Cup fulfils FIFA’s objectives to touch the world, develop the game, and build a better future through a variety of ways.

Below is a list of the most intriguing facts about the Brazil 2014 World cup…

This Will Be The First World Cup Ever With Goal-Line Technology
14 cameras will be set up around the rim of each host stadium. 7 of these cameras will focus on 1 goal, where the other 7 will focus on the opposite goal. They are connected to a central mainframe computer which analyses each shot on goal. When the match ball crosses the goal line, the referee will feel a vibration and receive a visual sign stating: “Goal”. How does he feel the vibration and see “Goal”? Simple, by wearing a special watch connected to the mainframe computer.

The technology has been used for the first time during the Confederations Cup 2013 in Brazil. Many of us can remember at least 1 unfair decision during a World Cup match. The Lampard shot in South Africa 2010 for example; the whole world witnessed a beautiful goal except for 1 person, the referee. So it seems those days of pure anger and frustration (or happiness and relief, depends how you look at it), are finally over!

A Paraplegic Teenager Will Take The First 2014 World Cup Kick
The first symbolic kick will not be made by any known or famous person. The first kick of the World Cup will be made by a paraplegic teenager in a mind-controlled exoskeleton suit. The teenager is paralysed from the waist down, but will ‘feel’ the kick due to sensory feedback. He will stand up from his wheelchair, walk over to the midfield and take the very first kick. This marks a very important step in the evolution of technology. This event will show that one day wheelchairs will cease to exist.

Germany Built Their Own World Cup Hotel And Training Camp
You may find above demands pretty extreme, but nothing is as extreme as Germany’s solution. In order to have the exact type of rooms, environment, training facilities, press centre, football field, restaurant etc, they simply built their own hotel and training camp in Bahia!
Germany was not impressed by Brazil’s existing facilities, and therefore created a complex which is named Campo Bahia. This complex which is financed by sponsors, provides a village atmosphere which also contains 13 houses and 65 rooms. The complex will be around 15 km away for the nearest airport, which makes it easy to travel to different host cities. After the World Cup, Campo Bahia will be used as a sport and nature resort.

It’s The 2nd Time Brazil Will host A World Cup
Yes, after 64 years, the 2014 World Cup will be the 2nd World Cup to be hosted in Brazil. Brazil has hosted the 4th World Cup in 1950, from 24th of June to 16th of July. The stadium Maracanã in Rio de Janeiro was specially built for the 1950 World Cup, and is the only stadium which will be used again for the 2014 World Cup. Find out who has beaten Brazil in the 1950 World Cup Final.

It Took 36 Years Before South America Will Host A World Cup Again
The last World Cup that was hosted in South America was in 1978. It was Argentina which hosted the 1978 World Cup. Other South American countries which have hosted a World Cup are Uruguay in 1930, Brazil in 1950 and Chile in 1962. The 2014 World Cup in Brazil will be number 5 to be hosted in South America.

Brazil Is The 5th Country To Host A World Cup For The 2nd Time
First there were the countries Mexico (1970,1982), Italy (1934,1990), France (1938,1998) and Germany (1974,2006) which hosted a World Cup for the 2nd time. Brazil will be number 5 after having hosted the 1950 World Cup.
For The First Time 2 Consecutive World Cups Are Not Hosted In Europe
Normally after a World Cup has been hosted outside Europe, it was Europe that would host the next tournament 4 years later. However the previous World Cup was hosted in Africa and not in Europe. Only after 2 World Cups (South Africa 2010 and Brazil 2014), it is European country Russia which will host the next World Cup in 2018.

Vanishing Spray Will Be Used To Provide A Temporary Visual Marker
For the first time in World Cup history, vanishing spray will be used by referees in the 2014 World Cup. The water-based spray will be used to mark the position of the ball for a free-kick on the pitch. The spray will also mark the ten-yard line for the defending team during a free kick. This prevents from players to form a defensive wall to close to the ball. The spray appears as a white spot or line that automatically disappears in a minute.
FIFA approved the spray for the 2014 World Cup after this has successfully been used at the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup, 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup and 2013 FIFA Club World Cup.

Brazil Will Use Drones and US Robots During The World Cup
In order to ensure the safety of the many people who will visit Brazil and see the matches, Israeli drones will be utilized. These unmanned aircraft will monitor the crowds for defense and security purposes. So called PackBot 510 robots, which are used in the US military, will also be utilized to protect the citizens and tourists. They can be remotely operated and detect and examine suspicious objects or explore dangerous environments.

According to the manufacturer iRobot, the robots perform “multiple missions for troops and public safety professionals, enhancing situational awareness, reducing risk and increasing mission success“.
Aside from the drones and US robots, facial recognition camera glasses, helicopters with night vision and thermal cameras, high tech-surveillance equipment and soldiers from the Brazilian Armed Forces are used to ensure security and protection in the host cities.

2014 World Cup Is The Most Expensive World Cup Ever
No, no expenses are being saved for this World Cup, Brazil wants to organize a never to forget, legendary World Cup. Why you ask? Because the costs so far are 14-16 billion US Dollars! See here the total costs of the last 5 World Cups:
1994 USA:US$ 30 million
1998 France: US$ 340 million
2002 Japan/South Korea: US$ 5 billion
2006 Germany: US$ 6 billion
2010 South Africa: US$ 4 billion
It is interesting to see that the last World Cup in South Africa was less expensive than the 2002 and 2006 World Cups.
But what is really interesting to see, is that the 2014 World Cup is way more expensive than the 2 previous World Cups together, heck, almost just as expensive as the last three World Cups together! The costs include stadiums, transport and security. When reading the news, it is obvious Brazil is investing highly in the infrastructure and decreasing the criminality rate.
As many probably know, the high costs made many Brazilians furious and was one of the main topics Brazilians were protesting immensely about in June 2013.

Referees Are Allowed To Stop Matches 2/3 Times Due To Weather Conditions
Especially in the northern and northeast cities where the World Cup matches will be played (Manaus, Natal, Fortaleza, Salvador, Recife), the heat can become very intense.
The FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke therefore announced referees are allowed to pause a 2014 World Cup match 2 or 3 times. During these stops, players have the opportunity to hydrate themselves.
Jerome Valcke was not very specific about the anti-heat measures, however he stated it is up to the referees to decide what is best on the day of a match.
Southern cities (e.g. Porto Alegre and Curitiba) will not cause such issues, since months June and July are perceived as the coolest months of the year.

Official 2014 World Cup Song Is Called ’We Are One’
The official 2014 World Cup song will be performed by Cuban rapper Pitbull, ‘Bronx Diva’ J.Lo and Brazilian singer Claudia Leite. This is the 3rd time a World Cup song is performed by Latin artists. The first was Ricky Martin with La Copa De La Vida for the 1998 World Cup. The 2nd  was Shakira with Waka Waka for the 2010 World Cup. The single We Are One has been released on April 8 2014.

Ronaldo Might Lose His Record of 15 World Cup Goals
Former Brazilian footballer Ronaldo is the World Cup top goalscorer with 15 goals. He scored his first goal in the 1998 World Cup group match against Morocco. His last World Cup goal was scored against Ghana in the 2010 World Cup.
A fact is that Ronaldo has played his last World Cup. But there is a player who scored 14 World Cup goals, and will probably play the 2014 World Cup as well! We’re talking about German player Miroslav Klose. He scored his first World Cup goal in the 2002 World Cup group match against Saudi Arabia. If Klose is able to score at least 2 goals in Brazil, he will become the new World Cup top goalscorer.

Special demands from participating countries
Many countries announced their special demands when it comes to the hotels and rooms they stay in. Some requests you understand, and some you think….really? But hey! A World Cup is not something anyone can play every year! The right and necessary preparations are needed, which obviously differ per country! Let’s just hope all these demands will contribute to great play and success in Brazil!

The following demands are known:
Portugal demands a console in every room and 6 security guards, 2 of which will be dedicated to look after Cristiano Ronaldo at all times.

France demands for the hotel to replace its bar soap for the liquid variety. Each room needs to contain 2 types of liquid soaps: one for showering and the other for washing their hands. The French football federation also insisted that every player’s room should be identical, down to the colour of the paint.

Uruguay demands silent air-conditioning units in each room.

Algeria demands a Quran in each room.

Ecuador demands a special room where players can unwind, and an every day basket with different types of Ecuadorian bananas in each room.

England demands one of 3 restaurants for their exclusive use, a dedicated video games room with 3 TVs and the latest games, and they want the sole use of the gym and swimming pool for just several hours every day. All their rooms contain brand new furniture, beds, wooden floors, rust-free balconies and air conditioning

Honduras demands the addition of 6 Spanish-language channels to the televisions in each room, including 2 from Honduras.

Japan demands all rooms must have a Jacuzzi.

Australia demands installation of 2 large coffee machines close to their rooms, in an area that must also include a variety of newspapers from around the world. They want Brazilian meals of red meat, fish and chicken, but all cooked within the concept of a healthy diet.

Bosnia and Herzegovina demands an acoustic (sound-proofed) screen. The idea is that players will dine on one side and the coaching staff on the other. This way their conversations will not be mixed.

Switzerland demands Swiss television channels in all the rooms and high-speed internet.

Chile demands new beds and flat screen televisions in every room.

Costa Rica demands a large chill-out room with sofas, televisions and video games.

Colombia asked for 15 lucky youth players to take part in their training sessions.