For the first time at a World Cup finals, match officials used goal-line technology, as well as vanishing spray for free kicks.

Host nation Brazil, who had won the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup, lost to Germany 7–1 in the semi-finals and eventually finished in fourth place.

[17] Following qualification matches played between June 2011 and November 2013, the following 32 teams – shown with their last pre-tournament FIFA world ranking[18] – qualified for the final tournament.

The draw took place on 6 December 2013 at the Costa do Sauípe resort in Bahia, during which the teams were drawn by various past World Cup-winning players.

[20][21] Hosted by TV presentators Fernanda Lima and Tadeu Schmidt and conducted by the FIFA general secretary Jérôme Valcke, the draw featured football celebrities from all FIFA World Cup champion countries such as Cafu (Brazil), Fabio Cannavaro (Italy), Lothar Matthäus (Germany), Zinédine Zidane (France), Mario Alberto Kempes (Argentina), Fernando Hierro (Spain), Geoff Hurst (England) and Alcides Ghiggia (Uruguay).

[30] During a match, all remaining squad members not named in the starting team were available to be one of the three permitted substitutions (provided the player was not serving a suspension).

[32] During the World Cup, Brazilian cities were also home to the participating teams at 32 separate base camps,[33] as well as staging official fan fests where supporters could view the games.

On 31 January 2014, FIFA announced the base camps for each participating team,[33] having earlier circulated a brochure of 84 prospective locations.

Prominent examples were the Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, which already held a Fan Fest in 2010, and São Paulo's Vale do Anhangabaú.

[45] Following successful trials,[nb 3] FIFA approved the use of vanishing spray by the referees for the first time at a World Cup Finals.

[46] The Adidas Brazuca was the official match ball of the 2014 FIFA World Cup[47][48][49][50] and was supplied by Forward Sports of Sialkot, Pakistan.

Furthermore, Adidas underwent an extensive testing process lasting more than two years to produce a ball that would meet the approval of football professionals.

The first cooling break in a World Cup play took place during the 32nd minute of the match between the Netherlands and Mexico in the round of 16.

[63] The competition was organised so that teams that played each other in the group stage could not meet again during the knockout phase until the final (or the 3rd place match).

[71] World Cup holders Spain were eliminated after only two games, the quickest exit for the defending champions since Italy's from the 1950 tournament.

[79] The eight teams to win in the round of 16 included four former champions (Brazil, Germany, Argentina and France), a three-time runner-up (Netherlands), and two first-time quarter-finalists (Colombia and Costa Rica).

[86][87] Source: FIFA[88] The most notable disciplinary case was that of Uruguayan striker Luis Suárez, who was suspended for nine international matches and banned from taking part in any football-related activity (including entering any stadium) for four months, following a biting incident on Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini.

[92] The following awards were given at the conclusion of the tournament:[93][94] Lionel Messi Thomas Müller Arjen Robben Ángel Di María James Rodríguez Javier Mascherano Mats Hummels Neymar Philipp Lahm Toni Kroos[95] James Rodríguez (6 goals, 2 assists) Thomas Müller (5 goals, 3 assists) Neymar (4 goals, 1 assist)[96] Manuel Neuer Keylor Navas Sergio Romero[97] Paul Pogba Memphis Depay Raphaël Varane[98] Colombia The members of the Technical Study Group, the committee that decided which players won the awards, were led by FIFA's head of the Technical Division Jean-Paul Brigger and featured:[99] There were changes to the voting procedure for awards for the 2014 edition: while in 2010 accredited media were allowed to vote for the Golden Ball award,[100] in 2014 only the Technical Study Group could select the outcome.

[101] As was the case during the 2010 edition, FIFA released an All-Star Team based on the Castrol performance index in its official website.

[102] Manuel Neuer Marcos Rojo Mats Hummels Thiago Silva Stefan de Vrij Oscar Toni Kroos Philipp Lahm James Rodríguez Arjen Robben Thomas Müller FIFA also invited users of FIFA.com to elect their Dream Team.

[107] FIFA was expected to spend US$2 billion on staging the finals,[109] with its greatest single expense being the US$576 million prize money pot.

[111][112] Five of the chosen host cities had brand new venues built specifically for the World Cup, while the Estádio Nacional Mané Garrincha in the capital Brasília was demolished and rebuilt, with the remaining six being extensively renovated.

"[118] The marketing of the 2014 FIFA World Cup included sale of tickets, support from sponsors and promotion through events that utilise the symbols and songs of the tournament.

For a fourth consecutive FIFA World Cup Finals, the coverage was provided by HBS (Host Broadcast Services), a subsidiary of Infront Sports & Media.

[131] The International Broadcast Centre was situated at the Riocentro in the Barra da Tijuca neighbourhood of Rio de Janeiro.

[137][138][139][140][141] The houses of thousands of families living in Rio de Janeiro’s slums were cleared for redevelopments for the World Cup in spite of protests and resistance.

[153][154] On 3 July 2014, an overpass under construction in Belo Horizonte as part of the World Cup infrastructure projects collapsed onto a busy carriageway below, leaving two people dead and 22 others injured.

First, in a group stage match, after Uruguayan defender Álvaro Pereira received a blow to the head, he lay unconscious.

The incident drew criticism from the professional players' union FIFPro, and from Michel D'Hooghe, a member of the FIFA executive board and chairman of its medical committee.

During that time, Kramer was disoriented and confused, and asked the referee Nicola Rizzoli whether the match he was playing was in the World Cup Final.