The 2014 World Cup was held in Brazil from 12 June to 13 July. Germany became the first European nation to win the men's tournament in the Americas after Mario Götze scored the only goal of the final against Argentina in extra time. The Netherlands finished third and host Brazil fourth after a tournament that equalled the 1998 record of 171 goals.
Germany won a difficult group, survived extra time against Algeria and eliminated France before defeating Brazil 7–1 in the semifinal. Argentina reached the final through four consecutive knockout clean sheets and a penalty shootout against the Netherlands. Costa Rica won a group containing three former champions, Colombia reached its first quarterfinal and James Rodríguez won the Golden Boot with six goals.
Brazil 2014 combined open attacking matches with several tactically controlled knockout ties. Germany's title represented the result of a deep squad and the ability to change formation and personnel without losing structure. The semifinal against Brazil became one of the competition's most extraordinary results, while Götze's final goal gave Germany a fourth title and ended a 24-year wait.
Germany used several midfield structures during the tournament and received goals from defenders, midfielders and forwards. Manuel Neuer's positioning allowed the team to defend space aggressively behind a high line.
The 7–1 semifinal victory over Brazil was followed by a tighter final, decided by Götze's control and volley in the 113th minute.
Explore Germany World Cup teams →Lionel Messi scored four group-stage goals before Argentina's knockout run became more defensively controlled. Javier Mascherano protected central areas and the back line conceded no knockout goal before the final.
Argentina defeated the Netherlands on penalties in the semifinal but could not convert several transition chances against Germany.
Explore Argentina World Cup teams →The Netherlands opened by defeating defending champion Spain 5–1 and changed shapes throughout the tournament. Arjen Robben remained the central transition threat.
A semifinal shootout defeat by Argentina ended the title challenge, but a 3–0 win over Brazil secured third place.
Brazil defeated Chile on penalties and Colombia in the quarterfinal but lost Neymar to injury and Thiago Silva to suspension before the semifinal.
Germany scored five goals in the opening 29 minutes and won 7–1, after which Brazil lost the third-place match to the Netherlands.
Explore Brazil World Cup teams →Costa Rica won a group containing Uruguay, Italy and England, then defeated Greece on penalties in the round of 16.
The Netherlands required a penalty shootout to eliminate Costa Rica after a 0–0 quarterfinal, leaving the team unbeaten in normal and extra time.
Colombia won all three group matches and defeated Uruguay in the round of 16 through two James Rodríguez goals.
Brazil won the quarterfinal 2–1, but Rodríguez's six goals earned the Golden Boot and established the campaign as Colombia's best finish.
Spain, England and Italy were eliminated, while Costa Rica won its group. The Netherlands, Colombia, Argentina and Belgium won all three matches.
Five of the eight matches were decided by one goal or penalties. Germany required extra time against Algeria and Costa Rica beat Greece on penalties.
Germany beat France, Brazil defeated Colombia, Argentina edged Belgium and the Netherlands eliminated Costa Rica on penalties.
Germany defeated Brazil 7–1 and Argentina beat the Netherlands on penalties. Götze's extra-time goal then settled the final 1–0.
Neuer combined elite goalkeeping with aggressive positioning outside the penalty area and received the Golden Glove.
Messi scored four goals, created decisive group-stage moments and received the Golden Ball after leading Argentina to the final.
Rodríguez scored in all five of Colombia's matches and won the Golden Boot with six goals.
Müller scored five goals, including a hat-trick against Portugal and the opening goal in the semifinal against Brazil.
Robben's speed and direct carrying drove the Netherlands' transitions and helped the team finish third without losing in normal time.
Klose scored his 16th World Cup goal during the semifinal and became the tournament's all-time leading men's scorer.
The tournament had 21 participants. The current 7a0 data set contains 21 selected squads, each with real player names, shirt numbers, positions, ratings and legend markers.
The list above describes current game coverage, not the complete tournament field shown in the group section.
The edition remains part of World Cup history for several connected reasons:
Germany defeated Argentina 1–0 after extra time and won its fourth World Cup title.
Mario Götze scored in the 113th minute after controlling André Schürrle's cross.
Germany defeated host Brazil 7–1 in the semifinal in Belo Horizonte.
Colombia midfielder James Rodríguez won the Golden Boot with six goals.
The current synchronized data contains twenty-one selected squads from the tournament.
Editorial review: 7a0.online
Last reviewed: 2026-07-25
Tournament facts are checked against the cited records. Game ratings, position eligibility and tactical descriptions remain independent 7a0 editorial values.
Compare Germany's champions with Argentina, the Netherlands, Brazil and the tournament's breakthrough teams.
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