The countdown to the 2014
FIFA World Cup is well and truly on, with almost all the qualified nations for the finals now confirmed.
While predictions of teams' routes to glory will have to wait until
pots are confirmed and groups are drawn, we can certainly assess the
relative strengths of each nation and rank all 32 in accordance with how
likely they are to make an impact on the tournament.
Form during the qualifiers themselves has been taken into account in
the ranking, but an element of subjective analysis is also included;
many of these nations will be playing in conditions or against opponents
which they rarely are tested with, making direct comparisons difficult
in terms of form or matching player for player.
Here are all 32 nations ranked from least to most likely to challenge for the biggest prize in all of football.
The following is a list of teams
that have qualified for the 2014 soccer World Cup in Brazil.
Qualifying for the 32-team tournament ends Nov. 20:
Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Brazil
(host), Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, England, Germany,
Honduras, Iran, Italy, Ivory Coast, Japan, Netherlands, Nigeria,
Russia, Spain, South Korea, Switzerland, U.S.
*Uruguay are included, as they have built up a tremendously large
first-leg advantage. Should they fail to proceed to the finals as
expected, their places will be taken and re-ordered with Jordan.
Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images
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