For the video game, see. The 2014 FIFA World Cup was the 20th , the quadrennial world championship for teams organized by. It took place in from 12 June to 13 July 2014, after the country was awarded the hosting rights in 2007. It was the second time that Brazil staged the competition, the first being in , and the fifth time that it was held in South America. A total of 64 matches were played in 12 venues located in as many host cities across Brazil. For the first time at a World Cup finals, match officials used , as well as for. Every World Cup-winning team since the — , , , , , , and — qualified for this tournament. Spain, the title holders, were eliminated at the group stage, along with England and Italy. Uruguay were eliminated in the round of 16, and France exited in the quarter-finals. Host nation Brazil, who had won the , 7—1 in the semi-finals and eventually finished in fourth place. In , Germany defeated Argentina 1—0 to win the tournament and secure the country's fourth world title, the first after the in 1990, when as West Germany they also beat Argentina in the. Germany became the first European team to win a World Cup staged in the , and this result marked the third consecutive title won by a European team, after Italy in and Spain in. Announcing of Brazil as hosts, 2007 In March 2003, FIFA announced that the tournament would be held in South America for the first time since , in line with its then-active policy of rotating the right to host the World Cup among different confederations. With hosted in South Africa, it would be the second consecutive World Cup outside of Europe, which was a first for the tournament. It was also second in the Southern Hemisphere. Only Brazil and Colombia formally declared their candidacy but, after the withdrawal of the latter from the process, Brazil was officially elected as host nation unopposed on 30 October 2007. See also: Fo