UEFA's qualification process determined 13 European berths for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, involving 53 nations across two rounds.
Key Facts
- Teams competing
- 53
- Places available
- 13
- Groups formed
- 9 (eight of six teams, one of five)
- Qualification start date
- 7 September 2012
- Qualification end date
- 19 November 2013
- Play-off qualifiers
- Croatia, France, Greece, Portugal
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Following the conclusion of UEFA Euro 2012 in June 2012, UEFA organized qualification for the 2014 FIFA World Cup using the same format as the 2010 cycle. The draw for the groups had been held on 30 July 2011 at the Marina da Glória in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Fifty-three European teams competed across nine groups between September 2012 and November 2013. The nine group winners qualified automatically for the finals. The eight best runners-up then contested two-legged play-offs to determine four additional qualifiers from the UEFA zone.
Thirteen European nations secured places at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, England, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Russia, Spain, and Switzerland qualified as group winners, while Croatia, France, Greece, and Portugal advanced through the play-offs.