| GROUP A | GROUP B | GROUP C | GROUP D |
| BRAZIL | SPAIN | COLOMBIA | URUGUAY |
| CROATIA | AUSTRALIA | GREECE | COSTA RICA |
| MEXICO | CHILE | IVORY COAST | ENGLAND |
| CAMEROON | NETHERLANDS | JAPAN | ITALY |
| GROUP E | GROUP F | GROUP G | GROUP H |
| SWITZERLAND | ARGENTINA | GERMANY | BELGIUM |
| ECUADOR | BOSNIA-HERZ | PORTUGAL | ALGERIA |
| FRANCE | IRAN | GHANA | RUSSIA |
| HONDURAS | NIGERIA | UNITED STATES | SOUTH KOREA |
ENGLAND landed one of the worst possible draws for the World Cup finals in Brazil next year after being placed in Group D alongside Uruguay, Italy and Costa Rica.
Roy Hodgson's men are scheduled to begin their campaign against Italy in the jungle city of Manaus where the humidity can reach 99% in June.
The match is also the only 2am BST kick-off* in the whole tournament although the timetable is subject to change and there are already rumours that Uruguay-Costa Rica may be put in the graveyard slot instead.
This would actually make sense from a television and revenue perspective for FIFA as England-Italy and Uruguay-Costa Rica would then be scheduled in the European and Americas primetime respectively.
Certainly, England coach Hodgson is keen to stay out of the Amazon having already caused an unintentional war of words with the mayor of Manaus.
The former Fulham, West Bromwich Albion and Liverpool coach described the city as "the place to avoid" earlier this week, prompting mayor Arthur Virgilio to reply: "We would also prefer that England don't come.
"We hope to get a better team and a coach who is more sensible and polite. He's one of the few people in the world who is not curious about the Amazon, who doesn't want to know about Manaus."
We would also prefer that England doesn’t come
Read more at http://www.worldsoccer.com/247/manaus#1bWEPXQTIWpOiJj6.99
Read more at http://www.worldsoccer.com/247/manaus#1bWEPXQTIWpOiJj6.99
We would also prefer that England doesn’t come
Read more at http://www.worldsoccer.com/247/manaus#1bWEPXQTIWpOiJj6.99
Read more at http://www.worldsoccer.com/247/manaus#1bWEPXQTIWpOiJj6.99
For now, though, Mr Virgilio will be welcoming the Three Lions coach to his city with the match late on the Saturday evening of 14 June, Brazil time.
After that, England move to the south east of the country to take on Uruguay and, barring injury, Liverpool striker Luis Suarez who hit another four goals past England squad goalkeeper John Ruddy this week.
Famously, the Uruguayans won the World Cup on the only previous occasion it was held in Brazil back in 1950, beating the hosts 2-1 in a final still known in Brazil as the Maracanazo - the disaster at the Maracano.
More recently, La Celeste were semi-finalists four years ago in South Africa but, while their talented attackers - Suarez, Edison Cavani, Diego Forlan and Nicolas Lodeiro - remain just as dependable, an ageing defence conceded 25 goals in 16 group matches.
So there is some hope for England - especially as their third group game then pits them against the minnows of the section, Costa Rica, though the two countries have never met in a competitive match.
Indeed, the draw only panned out this way because the Italians were the team taken out of Pot 4 in a pre-draw which guaranteed they would face one of the South American seeds.
At this moment, the England contingent would have drawn a sigh of relief - but the joy of avoiding the Italians' fate did not last for long when it became apparent that the Three Lions had joined the Azzurri in Group D anyway.
Elsewhere, the draw threw up a couple of titanic clashes early on with holders Spain taking on Netherlands in a repeat of the most recent World Cup Final.
This is in Group B which also features the talented Chileans, who won 2-0 last month at Wembley, and the lowest ranked of the 32 teams, Australia.
Just as in Euro 2012, Germany have been paired with Portugal, with Ghana and United States also in Group G having shared some recent history in a tough section.
By contrast, the team who must be happiest with the draw is France. Les Bleus only just qualified for the finals last month, coming from 2-0 down to beat Ukraine 3-2 in a playoff.
Now, Didier Deschamps' team have been drawn in Group E against Switzerland, Ecuador, and Honduras - and, provided they keep their discipline, the French can look forward to a good run.
Nevertheless, the favourites unsurprisingly remain hosts Brazil at 100/30 and their great rivals, Argentina who are at 9/2 with Ladbrokes.
Both of them came out of this afternoon's proceedings pretty well.
Brazil's biggest problem is likely to be dealing with the pressure of expectancy right from the start given their group on paper - Croatia, Mexico and Cameroon - does not look like much of a challenge.
Meanwhile, Lionel Messi and co will be aiming to cause another Maracanazo, and should have no problems getting past Iran, Nigeria, and debutants Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Never mind the countdown to Christmas, then - a World Cup in Brazil is the stuff of dreams for a football fan. Only 187 days to go and counting...
GROUP A
| Time | Date | Venue | |
| 9pm | Thu 12 June | BRAZIL v CROATIA | Sao Paulo |
| 5pm | Fri 13 June | MEXICO v CAMEROON | Natal |
| 8pm | Tue 17 June | BRAZIL v MEXICO | Fortaleza |
| 11pm | Wed 18 June | CAMEROON v CROATIA | Manaus |
| 9pm | Mon 23 June | CAMEROON v BRAZIL | Brasilia |
| 9pm | Mon 23 June | CROATIA v MEXICO | Recife |
GROUP B
| Time | Date | Venue | |
| 8pm | Fri 13 June | SPAIN v NETHERLANDS | Salvador |
| 11pm | Fri 13 June | CHILE v AUSTRALIA | Cuiaba |
| 8pm | Wed 18 June | SPAIN v CHILE | Rio de Janeiro |
| 5pm | Wed 18 June | NETHERLANDS v AUSTRALIA | Porto Alegre |
| 5pm | Mon 23 June | AUSTRALIA v SPAIN | Curitiba |
| 5pm | Mon 23 June | NETHERLANDS v CHILE | Sao Paulo |
GROUP C
| Time | Date | Venue | |
| 5pm | Sat 14 June | COLOMBIA v GREECE | Belo Horizonte |
| 2am | Sun 15 June | IVORY COAST v JAPAN | Recife |
| 5pm | Thu 19 June | COLOMBIA v IVORY COAST | Brasilia |
| 11pm | Thu 19 June | JAPAN v GREECE | Natal |
| 9pm | Tue 24 June | JAPAN v COLOMBIA | Cuiaba |
| 9pm | Tue 24 June | GREECE v IVORY COAST | Fortaleza |
GROUP D
| Time | Date | Venue | |
| 8pm | Sat 14 June | URUGUAY v COSTA RICA | Fortaleza |
| 11pm | Sat 14 June | ENGLAND v ITALY | Manaus |
| 8pm | Thu 19 June | URUGUAY v ENGLAND | Sao Paulo |
| 5pm | Fri 20 June | ITALY v COSTA RICA | Recife |
| 5pm | Tue 24 June | ITALY v URUGUAY | Natal |
| 5pm | Tue 24 June | COSTA RICA v ENGLAND | Belo Horizonte |
GROUP E
| Time | Date | Venue | |
| 5pm | Sun 15 June | SWITZERLAND v ECUADOR | Brasilia |
| 8pm | Sun 15 June | FRANCE v HONDURAS | Porto Alegre |
| 8pm | Fri 20 June | SWITZERLAND v FRANCE | Salvador |
| 11pm | Fri 20 June | HONDURAS v ECUADOR | Curitiba |
| 9pm | Wed 25 June | HONDURAS v SWITZERLAND | Manaus |
| 9pm | Wed 25 June | ECUADOR v FRANCE | Rio de Janeiro |
GROUP F
| Time | Date | Venue | |
| 11pm | Sun 15 June | ARGENTINA v BOSNIA-HERZ | Rio de Janeiro |
| 8pm | Mon 16 June | IRAN v NIGERIA | Curitiba |
| 5pm | Sat 21 June | ARGENTINA v IRAN | Belo Horizonte |
| 11pm | Sat 21 June | NIGERIA v BOSNIA-HERZ | Cuiaba |
| 5pm | Wed 25 June | NIGERIA v ARGENTINA | Porto Alegre |
| 5pm | Wed 25 June | BOSNIA-HERZ v IRAN | Salvador |
GROUP G
| Time | Date | Venue | |
| 5pm | Mon 16 June | GERMANY v PORTUGAL | Salvador |
| 11pm | Mon 16 June | GHANA v UNITED STATES | Natal |
| 8pm | Sat 21 June | GERMANY v GHANA | Fortaleza |
| 11pm | Sun 22 June | UNITED STATES v PORTUGAL | Manaus |
| 5pm | Thu 26 June | UNITED STATES v GERMANY | Recife |
| 5pm | Thu 26 June | PORTUGAL v GHANA | Brasilia |
GROUP H
| Time | Date | Venue | |
| 5pm | Tue 17 June | BELGIUM v ALGERIA | Belo Horizonte |
| 11pm | Tue 17 June | RUSSIA v SOUTH KOREA | Cuiaba |
| 5pm | Sun 22 June | BELGIUM v RUSSIA | Rio de Janeiro |
| 8pm | Sun 22 June | SOUTH KOREA v ALGERIA | Porto Alegre |
| 9pm | Thu 26 June | SOUTH KOREA v BELGIUM | Sao Paulo |
| 9pm | Thu 26 June | ALGERIA v RUSSIA | Curitiba |
SECOND ROUND
| Time | Date | Venue | |
| 5pm | Sat 28 June | (1) WINNER A v RUNNER-UP B | Belo Horizonte |
| 9pm | Sat 28 June | (2) WINNER C v RUNNER-UP D | Rio de Janeiro |
| 5pm | Sun 29 June | (3) WINNER B v RUNNER-UP A | Fortaleza |
| 9pm | Sun 29 June | (4) WINNER D v RUNNER-UP C | Recife |
| 5pm | Mon 30 June | (5) WINNER E v RUNNER-UP F | Brasilia |
| 9pm | Mon 30 June | (6) WINNER G v RUNNER-UP H | Porto Alegre |
| 5pm | Tue 1 July | (7) WINNER F v RUNNER-UP E | Sao Paulo |
| 9pm | Tue 1 July | (8) WINNER H v RUNNER-UP G | Salvador |
QUARTER FINALS
| Time | Date | Venue | |
| 9pm | Fri 4 July | WINNER (1) v WINNER (2) | Fortaleza |
| 5pm | Fri 4 July | WINNER (5) v WINNER (6) | Rio de Janeiro |
| 9pm | Sat 5 July | WINNER (3) v WINNER (4) | Salvador |
| 5pm | Sat 5 July | WINNER (7) v WINNER (8) | Brasilia |
SEMI FINALS
| Time | Date | Venue | |
| 9pm | Tue 8 July | WINNER QF1 v WINNER QF2 | Belo Horizonte |
| 9pm | Wed 9 July | WINNER QF3 v WINNER QF4 | Sao Paulo |
THIRD PLACE PLAYOFF
| Time | Date | Venue | |
| 9pm | Sat 12 July | LOSER SF1 v LOSER SF2 | Brasilia |
WORLD CUP FINAL
| Time | Date | Venue | |
| 8pm | Sun 13 July | WINNER SF1 v WINNER SF2 | Rio de Janeiro |
*England-Italy matched subsequently moved to 11pm on Sat 14 June with Ivory Coast-Japan in Group C moved to 2am BST on Sun 15 June. In all, seven changes to the original schedule were made by FIFA.
DAY-BY-DAY WORLD CUP GUIDE
All times are BST
Thu 12 June Brazil v Croatia (9pm)
Fri 13 June Mexico v Cameroon (5pm), Spain v Netherlands (8pm), Chile v Australia (11pm)
Sat 14 June Colombia v Greece (5pm), Uruguay v Costa Rica (8pm), England v Italy (11pm)
Sun 15 June Ivory Coast v Japan (2am), Switzerland v Ecuador (5pm), France v Honduras (8pm), Argentina v Bosnia-Herzegovina (11pm)
Mon 16 June Germany v Portugal (5pm), Iran v Nigeria (8pm), Ghana v United States (11pm)
Tue 17 June Belgium v Algeria (5pm), Brazil v Mexico (8pm), Russia v South Korea (11pm)
Wed 18 June Netherlands v Australia (5pm), Cameroon v Croatia (8pm), Spain v Chile (11pm)
Thu 19 June Colombia v Ivory Coast (5pm), Uruguay v England (8pm), Japan v Greece (11pm)
Fri 20 June Italy v Costa Rica (5pm), Switzerland v France (8pm), Honduras v Ecuador (11pm)
Sat 21 June Argentina v Iran (5pm), Germany v Ghana (8pm), Nigeria v Bosnia-Herzegovina (11pm)
Sun 22 June South Korea v Algeria (5pm), United States v Portugal (8pm), Belgium v Russia (11pm)
Mon 23 June Australia v Spain, Netherlands v Chile (5pm); Cameroon v Brazil, Croatia v Mexico (9pm)
Tue 24 June Italy v Uruguay, Costa Rica v England (5pm); Japan v Colombia, Greece v Ivory Coast (9pm)
Wed 25 June Nigeria v Argentina, Bosnia-Herzegovina v Iran (5pm); Honduras v Switzerland, Ecuador v France (9pm)
Thu 26 June United States v Germany, Portugal v Ghana (5pm); South Korea v Belgium, Algeria v Russia (9pm)
DRAW POTS
1 Seeds Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Uruguay, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, Spain
2 Africa/South America Algeria, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria, Chile, Ecuador, Italy*
3 Asia/North America Australia, Iran, Japan, South Korea, Costa Rica, Honduras, Mexico, United States 4 Europe Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, England, France, Greece, Netherlands, Portugal, Russia
*moved from Pot 4 to ensure no more than two European sides in a single group
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