With World Cup 2014 one step closer after Friday's round of qualifiers across the globe, four more nations have secured qualification to next year's showpiece in Brazil.
The hosts had already been joined by Asian representatives Japan, Australia, Iran and South Korea at an earlier stage, as well as Netherlands, Italy (both Uefa), Argentina (Conmebol), Costa Rica and USA (both Concacaf) and more teams from Europe and South America have now wrapped up qualification, too.
Belgium booked their place in next summer's World Cup finals after recording a good 2-1 away win over Croatia, with Romelu Lukaku netting twice to seal the deal for the Rode Duivels.
Additionally, Germany ensured qualification following a 3-0 victory over Republic of Ireland in Cologne. Sami Khedira, Andre Schurrle and Mesut Ozil all found the net for Joachim Low's men.
Elsewhere, Switzerland became the fifth European team to qualify for next year's tournament courtesy of a narrow 2-1 away win over Albania as Xherdan Shaqiri and Michael Lang hammered home crucial goals.
Finally, Colombia joined hosts Brazil and Argentina as the third South-American representative after an impressive comeback versus Chile. Jose Pekerman's team were trailing by three goals at half-time, but fought back after the break as Teofilo Gutierrez and a Radamel Falcao double salvaged a 3-3 draw.
| NATIONS ALREADY QUALIFIED FOR WORLD CUP 2014 |
| TEAM | CONFEDERATION | LAST APPEARANCE | BEST PERFORMANCE |
| Brazil | Conmebol | 2010 | Winners |
| Argentina | Conmebol | 2010 | Winners |
| Colombia | Conmebol | 1998 | Round of 16 |
| Netherlands | Uefa | 2010 | Runners-up |
| Italy | Uefa | 2010 | Winners |
| Belgium | Uefa | 2002 | Fourth place |
| Germany | Uefa | 2010 | Winners |
| Switzerland | Uefa | 2010 | Quarter-finals |
| Japan | AFC | 2010 | Round of 16 |
| Australia | AFC | 2010 | Round of 16 |
| Iran | AFC | 2006 | Group stage |
| South Korea | AFC | 2010 | Fourth place |
| Costa Rica | Concacaf | 2006 | Round of 16 |
| USA | Concacaf | 2010 | Third place |
Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
naija will join very soon
ReplyDeleteYes ooooo. In Jesus Name. Amen.
ReplyDelete