Ready or not, the 2014 World Cup in Brazil is almost here. The tournament, which occurs every four years, will run from June 12 to July 13.
The competition features 32 nations that will vie for the world championship and is broken up into two stages: the group stage followed by the knockout stage.
There are eight groups with four teams in each group. The top two teams in each group, determined by a round-robin tournament, will advance.
Spain is the defending champion, having won in South Africa four years ago, but host Brazil has the most titles with five.
How to watch the matches:
ABC will show 10 games, including the final, while ESPN has the majority with 43 and the remaining 11 will be on ESPN2.
Detailed TV listings for individual games below.
Schedule of matches (All times listed are Eastern):
Group Stage
| Game | Time | Location | TV |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thurs. June 12 | |||
| Group A: Brazil vs. Croatia | 4 p.m. | Sao Paulo | ESPN |
| Fri. June 13 | |||
| Group A: Mexico vs. Cameroon | noon | Natal | ESPN2 |
| Group B: Spain vs. Netherlands | 3 p.m. | Salvador | ESPN |
| Group B: Chile vs. Australia | 6 p.m. | Cuiaba | ESPN2 |
| Sat. June 14 | |||
| Group C: Colombia vs. Greece | noon | Belo Horizonte | ABC |
| Group D: Uruguay vs. Costa Rica | 3 p.m. | Fortaleza | ABC |
| Group D: England vs. Italy | 6 p.m. | Manaus | ESPN |
| Group C: Ivory Coast vs. Japan | 9 p.m. | Recife | ESPN |
| Sun. June 15 | |||
| Group E: Switzerland vs. Ecuador | noon | Brasilia | ABC |
| Group E: France vs. Honduras | 3 p.m. | Porto Alegre | ABC |
| Group F: Argentina vs. Bosnia | 6 p.m. | Rio de Janeiro | ESPN |
| Mon. June 16 | |||
| Group G: Germany vs. Portugal | noon | Salvador | ESPN |
| Group F: Iran vs. Nigeria | 3 p.m. | Curitiba | ESPN |
| Group G: United States vs. Ghana | 6 p.m. | Natal | ESPN |
| Tues. June 17 | |||
| Group H: Belgium vs. Algeria | noon | Belo Horizonte | ESPN |
| Group A: Brazil vs. Mexico | 3 p.m. | Fortaleza | ESPN |
| Group H: Russia vs. South Korea | 6 p.m. | Cuiaba | ESPN |
| Wed. June 18 | |||
| Group B: Australia vs. Netherlands | noon | Porto Alegre | ESPN |
| Group B: Spain vs. Chile | 3 p.m. | Rio de Janeiro | ESPN |
| Group A: Cameroon vs. Croatia | 6 p.m. | Manaus | ESPN |
| Thurs. June 19 | |||
| Group C: Colombia vs. Ivory Coast | noon | Brasilia | ESPN |
| Group D: Uruguay vs. England | 3 p.m. | Sao Paulo | ESPN |
| Group C: Japan vs. Greece | 6 p.m. | Natal | ESPN |
| Fri. June 20 | |||
| Group D: Italy vs. Costa Rica | noon | Recife | ESPN |
| Group E: Switzerland vs. France | 3 p.m. | Salvador | ESPN |
| Group E: Honduras vs. Ecuador | 6 p.m. | Curitiba | ESPN |
| Sat. June 21 | |||
| Group F: Argentina vs. Iran | noon | Belo Horizonte | ESPN |
| Group G: Germany vs. Ghana | 3 p.m. | Fortaleza | ESPN |
| Group F: Nigeria vs. Bosnia | 6 p.m. | Cuiaba | ESPN |
| Sun. June 22 | |||
| Group H: Belgium vs. Russia | noon | Rio de Janeiro | ABC |
| Group H: South Korea vs. Algeria | 3 p.m. | Porto Alegre | ABC |
| Group G: United States vs. Portugal | 6 p.m. | Manaus | ESPN |
| Mon. June 23 | |||
| Group B: Netherlands vs. Chile | noon | Sao Paulo | ESPN |
| Group B: Australia vs. Spain | noon | Curitiba | ESPN2 |
| Group A: Cameroon vs. Brazil | 4 p.m. | Brasilia | ESPN |
| Group A: Croatia vs. Mexico | 4 p.m. | Recife | ESPN2 |
| Tues. June 24 | |||
| Group D: Italy vs. Uruguay | noon | Natal | ESPN |
| Group D: Costa Rica vs. England | noon | Belo Horizonte | ESPN |
| Group C: Japan vs. Colombia | 4 p.m. | Curitiba | ESPN |
| Group C: Greece vs. Ivory Coast | 4 p.m. | Fortaleza | ESPN2 |
| Wed. June 25 | |||
| Group F: Nigeria vs. Argentina | noon | Porto Alegre | ESPN |
| Group F: Bosnia vs. Iran | noon | Salvador | ESPN2 |
| Group E: Honduras vs. Switzerland | 4 p.m. | Manaus | ESPN |
| Group E: Ecuador vs. France | 4 p.m. | Rio de Janeiro | ESPN2 |
| Thurs. June 26 | |||
| Group G: Portugal vs. Ghana | noon | Brasilia | ESPN2 |
| Group G: United States vs. Germany | noon | Recife | ESPN |
| Group H: South Korea vs. Belgium | 4 p.m. | Sao Paulo | ESPN |
| Group H: Algeria vs. Russia | 4 p.m. | Curitiba | ESPN2 |
| Fri. June 27 | |||
| Rest day | Rest day |
Knockout Stage
| Game | Time | TV |
|---|---|---|
| Sat. June 28 | ||
| Match 49: Group A winner vs. Group B runner-up | noon | ABC |
| Match 50: Group C winner vs. Group D runner-up | 4 p.m. | ABC |
| Sun. June 29 | ||
| Match 51: Group B winner vs. Group A runner-up | noon | ESPN |
| Match 52: Group D winner vs. Group A runner-up | 4 p.m. | ESPN |
| Mon. June 30 | ||
| Match 53: Group E winner vs. Group F runner-up | noon | ESPN |
| Match 54: Group G winner vs. Group H runner-up | 4 p.m. | ESPN |
| Tues. July 1 | ||
| Match 55: Group F winner vs. Group E runner-up | noon | ESPN |
| Match 56: Group H winner vs. Group G runner-up | 4 p.m. | ESPN |
Quarterfinals
| Game | Time | TV |
|---|---|---|
| Fri. July 4 | ||
| Match 58: Match 53 & 54 winners | noon | ESPN2 |
| Match 57: Match 49 & 50 winners | 4 p.m. | ESPN |
| Sat. July 5 | ||
| Match 60: Match 55 & 56 winners | noon | ABC |
| Match 59: Match 51 & 52 winners | 4 p.m. | ESPN |
| Sun. July 6 – Mon. July 7 | ||
| Rest days | Rest days |
Semifinals
| Game | Time | TV |
|---|---|---|
| Tues. July 8 | ||
| Match 61: Match 57 & 58 winners | 4 p.m. | ESPN |
| Wed. July 9 | ||
| Match 62: Match 59 & 60 winners | 4 p.m. | ESPN |
| Thurs. July 10 | ||
| Rest days | Rest days |
Third place game
| Game | Time | TV |
|---|---|---|
| Sat. July 12 | 4 p.m. | ESPN |
Final
| Game | Time | TV |
|---|---|---|
| Sun. July 13 | 3 p.m. | ABC |
More World Cup
Soccer Insider: Local fan prepares for 9th World Cup
Soccer Insider: 10 things you should know about Spain’s pre-World Cup visit to Washington
U.S. World Cup team player capsules
Five sad and shocking facts about World Cup corruption in Brazil
61 percent of Brazil’s population thinks hosting the World Cup was an awful idea
