Who's gonna win the FIFA 2014 World Cup?

Dr Roshan Radhakrishnan
35
And so it finally begins.
The FIFA 2014 World Cup is finally here and if you thought IPL got people excited, you have to see the frenzy here in Kerala. Flags of Brazil and Argentina are flying high and banners proclaiming allegiance to Italy and England are visible across many streets.



This time around, I'm personally not so confident about who is gonna win the cup - there are many underdogs who are performing well and a few heavyweights who seem to be faltering as the countdown to the tournament begins. Is it going to be the consistency of a group effort ( a la Spain in 2010 / Italy in 2006 ) or the magic of an individual ( Ronaldo in 2002 / Baggio in 1994 ) that will be the decisive factor in this one?
Teams I've got my eyes on include:
  • Germany ( Consistent performers, ruthless attacking line up. )
  • Brazil ( Better suited to home conditions than Europeans, good attacking line up. )  
  • Spain ( Winners of Euro 2008, FIFA 2010 and Euro 2012.)
  • Netherlands ( Always under-performing... perhaps their time has come. )
  • Argentina ( Again, a formidable attack. )
  • Wild cards:  France, Portugal, Uruguay, Belgium. 

It says a lot that I'm not considering the two World Cup winners from the Group of Death, namely Italy and England. The fact is their pre-World Cup warm up matches have hardly inspired any confidence even among their own fans. 
Anyway, I thought I'd make it fun for all those who drop by the blog and give them something to root for while they cheer their teams. So here are my questions for you:




Question 01: Out of the Top 10 teams in the FIFA ranking, which is the first team which is going to be eliminated from the World Cup? ( From Ranking 1 - 10, the teams are: Spain, Germany, Brazil, Portugal, Argentina, Switzerland, Uruguay, Columbia, Italy, England )


This Group list should help you make an informed choice
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Question 02: Who will be the finalists in the FIFA World Cup 2014 ?

Question 03: Who will win the FIFA World Cup 2014?

Question 04: Which team will score the most goals in FIFA 2014? (Penalty shoot-outs do not count in final tally.)

I would love to hear your personal opinions on the choices as well, though it's not a requisite for the contest, per se.

Rules:
  • Cut off dates for submitting your answers are June 17th (11 pm IST) (keeping in mind that the first team to be eliminated may occur as early as the morning of June 18th, theoretically).
  • In case more than one person gets the answer right, the winner will be decided by a Trial by Combat WWE styled Royal Rumble random chit selection.
Prizes:
Here's the best part. Your guess could win you free prizes. The winner of each question wins a Rs 250/- voucher from Flipkart, courtesy me. So technically, you stand a chance to win up to Rs 1000/- worth of gift vouchers.
The winners will be announced as the contest progresses.
All the best everyone. Let the games begin!!

UPDATE (15-7-2014) :
Okay, so the final answers of the contest were:
1. Spain was the first of the top 10 FIFA ranked teams to be eliminated.
2. Finalists were Germany and Argentina
3. WC Winner was Germany
4. Team which scored the most goals was again Germany with 18 ( Netherlands had 15)

Well... sadly, no one got the first  two answers right. Quite a few did place their bets on Germany for the last two and it did work out well for them. A random chit selection was done and the winners for answers 3 and 4 are Geeta Nair and Mohammed Adel Khan respectively. Congrats guys :)

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35Comments

Let me know what you think.

  1. Nice to have this competition up and running :) Since there is time till Jun18th, I suppose most people would wait till then to see the current world cup form before giving their answers.

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  2. Yes.. That would b a good strategy. See how the teams look after playing their first game. Of course, if u see our Malabar area, many will have already decided their replies based on their fav team :)

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  3. AnonymousJune 10, 2014

    Ive been a big supporter of England till 2010 and now my allegiance is with Spain, followed by Brazil. I feel it will be a Brazil vs Spain super final. I think England will be out in preliminary owing to their boring football displayed since they discovered football..hehe
    Btw, do read my short stories whenever time permits

    http://vishalbheeroo.wordpress.com/2014/06/08/lane-256-kamathipura-mumbai-part-one/

    http://vishalbheeroo.wordpress.com/2014/06/08/lane-256-kamathipura-mumbai-part-two/

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    Replies
    1. Noted.. don't forget to add your answer for the "which team will score the most goals" question too :)

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  4. Now I don't know anything about football. But participate I will. Who knows, I win this too :D

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    Replies
    1. Ask around with the Boy and others to get a better clue.. in the end, you take the prize :)

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  5. Btw, we have to post answers in the comment form? Then maybe I will pick from majority and write last!!!!

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    Replies
    1. That would be a good strategy ... see how things are going in the starting and then send in your answers before the cut off date...

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  6. sir,
    Ans 1: uruguay / england will be the first one to exit....
    Ans 2: brazil vs germany or netherlands vs brazil ...i m not sure of the order of quarter play...
    Ans 3: algeria...lol...just kidding...aaaaaaaaaaa...i think germany / netherlands...
    Ans 4:argentina / netherlands / brazil....it ll be close...depends who reaches finals....
    so tats me and my predictions....wat say roshan sir???

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    Replies
    1. noted... and wow. that was some good guessing with uruguay and england. I would never have guessed them but likely one of them may be out by the end of the second set of matches.

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  7. 1: Portugal will be the first one to exit
    2: Brazil vs Netherlands
    3: Netherlands
    4: Brazil or Netherlands

    Well, I am writing posts on this World Cup... do read some. I'll be happy if you comment on a few. :)

    Arvind Passey
    www.passey.info

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    Replies
    1. Noted the answers :) I seriously wonder if Brazil would reach far - I had high expectations with home ground advantage and all, but they've underperformed to some extent for me.. they and Argentina both .

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  8. Nice to have a contest for your football loving readers. :)

    Is this where we're supposed to post our answers? If yes, here are mine:-

    Ans 1 - "ENGLAND" will be the first top-10 ranked team to crash out of the World Cup. I think they're an overrated team anyway :p

    Ans 2 - According to me, "GERMANY and NETHERLANDS" will make it to the final. Spain is my favourite team, but I think they're weak in their defence this time around.

    Ans 3 - I think "GERMANY" will win the FIFA World Cup 2014.

    Ans 4 - Once again, "GERMANY" should score the most number of goals in this tournament.

    Hope I win a thousand bucks :p

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    Replies
    1. I actually agree on the Germany bit.. I think they have been in the semis/finals too many times in recent years.. this may finally be their time.

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  9. Ans 1- Uruguay
    Ans.2 - Germany & Brazil
    Ans 3 - Germany
    Ans.4 - Italy

    Keeping my fingers crossed.

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    Replies
    1. As I mentioned above, even I think germany has a solid chance.

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  10. Hello Roshan,

    Came here via Indiblogger, read your post while surfing Indivine!

    This is a nice little contest for all the Football fans!

    I will also try my luck and give my answers below:

    1) Either England or Uruguay will exit the WC first as they both have have lost their first matches and will face each other on the 19th. The loser of the match will, in all likelihood fly back home. I will stick my neck and say that Uruguay will lose and be the first from the top 10 to be eliminated.

    2) It looks like a Brazil vs Argentina final to me because both the teams have some superb attacking options and are better acclimatised to the weather conditions in Brazil. The European teams might find it difficult in the heat and the humidity.

    3) I will back Brazil to win as they will have the vociferous home crowd behind them. Plus they would have extra motivation because of all the protests going on in Brazil regarding the WC.

    4) Has to be either Brazil or Argentina. I will go with Brazil if I have to choose one. I predict Neymar will be the Man to watch out for!

    I hope for the best and it was great predicting, keeping fingers crossed!!

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    Replies
    1. Ur right.. Eng vs Uru could prove to be the decider of the first answer unless Spain have a second shocker against Chile.
      I feel Brazil have yet to reach the potential they are capable of... Fred, Hulk et al have yet to step up a gear..

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  11. 1. England
    2.germany vs Netherlands.
    3. germany
    4. Netherlands

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  12. #1 - First top 10 team to be eliminated - England
    #2 - Italy vs Germany
    #3 - Italy (although I am a Germany fan)
    #4 - Netherlands

    Honestly, its all too close to call. I thought Spain was a more balanced side and they were dismantled by Netherlands. England are playing well despite their loss to Italy. However, I feel they have a bad relation with lady luck and they are now 1 match away from elimination. I am a Germany fan (this year - used to be a Brazil fan). I feel Italy will be fortunate to make the finals from Group A-D and Germany from the other groups. They may have to face France in the semis..

    Costa Rica have played well and Belgium can spring a surprise or two..

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    Replies
    1. Costa Rica really surprised me with their performance in the second half against Uruguay... Belgium too have a good chance to spring a few surprises though I doubt they will reach the finals. Italy... that is gonna be a worthwhile choice :)

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  13. 1 - England
    2 - Brazil vs Germany
    3 - Germany
    4 - Netherlands

    How cool are those answers!!?? ;) Let me know when you will send the prize. And please, no cheating, you have to pick a chit to decide the winner. Ofcourse, all chits will have my name :D

    P.S. I am just (not) kidding.

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    Replies
    1. Yes... all chits will have your name... now please stop pointing that gun at me :)

      Delete
  14. Ok... So times almost up. So here are my answers:
    1. Uruguay (had to be from the GoD. Earlier guess was England. But after their inspired performance against Italy and Suarez might be out for the next match too. Hence..)
    2. Finalists are Argentina vs Italy
    3. Winners Argentina.
    4. Top scorers Germany

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    Replies
    1. Suarez not being fit is a major blow for them.. you could see them considering substituting him in to the match when Costa Rica scored their second goal.. that was how desperate they were..

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  15. Ok... So times almost up. So here are my answers:
    1. Uruguay (had to be from the GoD. Earlier guess was England. But after their inspired performance against Italy and Suarez might be out for the next match too. Hence..)
    2. Finalists are Argentina vs Italy
    3. Winners Argentina.
    4. Top scorers Germany

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  16. I am like Rajni Kanth; a lil late... but in style. So, if you still consider me in the contest, I will be happy (i'm even ready to take you for a treat to Kuttappan Chettan's chaya kada)

    So, here are my answers...

    1. Spain
    2. Germany V/s Holland
    3. Holland
    4.GermANY

    :) :) :)

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    Replies
    1. I will accept the last 3 but theres no way I'm letting you put the first answer in now :D iTS ALREADY OVER!! :p :p

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    2. Thanks; no problem... I can party with 750 rupees :)

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    3. I still stand a chance to win 750 rupees :) :) :)

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  17. Hi,

    Thanks for the post about World Cup. Just a tip about those who don't live in countries that stream world cup online. You can use UnoTelly to remove the geoblock and stream World Cup 2014 in your country free worldcup.unotelly.com


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  18. Oops, I missed the contest! But yes, even as the Round of 16 is about to start, we are wondering who'll make it to the final finally!

    www.volatilespirits.com

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  19. Woah! I got 2 out of 4 answers right, that too without giving multiple choice answers, and even without being late :p

    I soo wanna win those Rs.500 vouchers!

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    Replies
    1. I saw it CRD. You were the only one who got 3 and 4 correct.. unfortunately, as I mentioned, when multiple correct entries come in, it goes to the basic chit system and in that, other names came up. Thanks for participating.

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