FIFA World Cup 2014: When does it start? Where can I watch it? Everything you need to know about the biggest stage of all

Football's world showpiece kicks in to full swing this summer, find everything you need to know about the FIFA World Cup here

FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke, left, and President of Brazilian Soccer Confederation Jose Maria Marin

Where and when does the FIFA World Cup take place?
The FIFA World Cup finals kick off on June 12 in Sao Paulo when hosts Brazil take on Croatia, kick off is at 9:00pm BST.
You can watch that game live on ITV1.
Brazil is the host nation for the second time in the tournament's history, but it's the first time that the FIFA World Cup has been held outside Europe for two consecutive years.
A total of 64 matches across 12 cities in either brand new stadiums or redeveloped stadiums.
For the first time in history goal-line technology will be used at the finals.
Who is taking part?

Group	A
Brazil	Croatia
Cameroon	Mexico

What the bookies say: Brazil are clear favourites to win the group at 1/4 and 1/19 to simply qualify. It would be a major upset if the hosts were not to get out of their group but it surely won't be an issue as the current crop of players go in search of Brazil's sixth World Cup.

Group	B
Australia	Netherlands
Chile	Spain

What the bookies say: Spain are favourites to qualify at 2/9 and understandably so, they are the current holders of both the World Cup and the European Championship but if you're feeling lucky you can get 100/1 on Australia to win this group.           

Swansea's Michel Vorm could be going to Brazil with the Netherlands

 

Group	C
Columbia	Ivory Coast
Greece	Japan

What the bookies say: This is a much closer group than the first two but Columbia are favourites (1/3) to qualify, however it remains unclear if their star striker Radamel Falcao will be fit to take part after he tore his ACL in January, requiring surgery. The recovery time for such an injury is 6 - 9 months but the Colombians surgeon is confident Falcao will be fit. Don't forget the Greeks, they know a thing or two about causing an upset at major tournaments and are the outsiders to qualify at 5/2.

Group	D
Costa Rica	Italy
England	Uruguay

What the bookies say: This is the most unpredictable group of the tournament, you could form a solid case for three of the teams to be favourites but only two can go through. Uruguay and Italy are joint favourites to qualify at 1/2. England are 4/6 with Costa Rica out at 12/1. The Uruguayans have a dangerous strike force in Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani but have an under whelming midfield. Italian head coach Cesare Prandelli has used 42 players in the last 12 international matches but with the likes of Mario Balotelli, Riccardo Montolivo and Emanuele Giaccherini in their ranks, they're sure to play a part.           
Gallery: Players to look out for in Brazil

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Players to watch out for in Brazil

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Group	E
Ecuador	Honduras
France	Switzerland

What the bookies say: Despite having to go into the playoffs to get to Brazil, France are clear favourites at 1/5 to qualify which is largely down to the draw being very kind to Les Bleus.

Group	F
Argentina	Iran
Bosnia & Herzegovina	Nigeria

What the bookies say: Argentina are overwhelming favourites in this group, they are 1/19 to get out of the group and chances are they will do it at a canter. Head coach Alejandro Sabella could probably get away with resting the likes of Lionel Messi and Sergio Aguero as the three group games will be little more than a training session for his players.           

Argentina's Lionel Messi playing for his club side Barcelona

 

Group	G
Germany	Portugal
Ghana	USA

What the bookies say: The bookmakers think that both Germany (1/6) and Portugal (4/7) are going to qualify, which is likely to happen provided Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo gets the service he needs. The third favourite to qualify is the USA at 3/1 who will be hoping to toss a spanner in the works.

Group	H
Algeria	Korean Republic
Belgium	Russia

What the bookies say: Belgium are 1/5 favourites to get out of group H with the likes of Christian Benteke, Eden Hazard, Kevin Mirallas and Vincent Kompany in their ranks they have all bases covered and on paper are a world class outfit.    
      
FIFA World Cup 2014 in the media
Things are looking up in Brazil! Later this week, the country's president Dilma Rousseff is expected to open the new Itaquerao stadium in São Paolo. The celebrations mean that there will be a pitch, with most of a building around it and perhaps even a bench and a dressing room. Hurrah! Tom Bryant - Guardian

Anti-World Cup campaigners in Brazil have threatened demonstrations during the showcase tournament next month but FIFA insisted Monday that it would be an unfair target. Yahoo! News
England's bid for World Cup glory in Brazil this summer could be undone by a much-feared weather phenomenon. Climate researchers at the University of Reading say there is a 60% chance of an El Nino event hitting the country.

The scientists say the complicated meteorological system is likely to cause extremely dry and sunny weather in June and July. Matt McGrath - BBC News

How to watch FIFA World Cup 2014 online?

Are you on of the many fans who would like to watch the FIFA World Cup 2014 online? That can be done. Of course not much can be said exactly about how and where yet, but based on the experiences from the Winter Olympics in 2014 we can still give out quite a lot of information about how you can watch the FIFA World Cup 2014 online.

As mentioned in the start we can know quite a lot about this based on the experience from the Winter Olympics in 2014. Quite a lot of the same television broadcasting companies sit with the rights to broadcast from the FIFA World Cup, meaning that they will use the same systems to show whatever is going on online as well. If we use Switzerland as an example it will probably look like this. In Switzerland SRG SSR has the rights to broadcast to their channels from the World Cup 2014. They have several channels in their systems, but during the Winter Olympics they made one online portal for this on which you could see the live streams from all channels in one and the same place. The only thing you needed for this to work was a Swiss IP address.
Another example is Ceska Televizie in the Czech Republic. They also had the rights to broadcast from the Winter Olympcis and then they had a wonderful special site on which you could watch all the interesting streams from the Winter Olympics at one and the same place at once. They will for sure make it just as easy to watch during the World Cup in Rio in 2014. All you need here is  a Czech IP Address.

FIFA World Cup online in English

The broadcasting companies with the right to broadcast in the United Kingdom is a mixture of ITV and BBC. That is ideal, because both channels have live streams available online, meaning that with a UK IP address you can simply watch whatever is going on at both channels. We have good experience with ITV broadcasting Champions League matches, and have used to watch Champions League matches on ITV frequently, and during the Winter Olympics it was also easy to watch live streams for free online with a UK IP, so this looks promising.

One week before the World Cup and in the last days before the World Cup in Rio in 2014 we will update this site with links directly to the live streams of the different channels and with information about what VPN providers to use to get an IP address in the nation you are interersted in!

Who will broadcast from the World Cup 2014?

Here you can see a full list of which companies and TV channels will broadcast from the World Cup in 2014. Not all nations are included, but some of the nations we believe to be the most important and interesting are included in this list.

FIFA World Cup in Australia

In Australia the broadcasting company SBS has the rights to show what is going on!

FIFA World Cup broadcasting in Austria

In Austria ORF has the rights to broadcast and that is perfect, because it is easy to watch ORF online, also from outside Austria. Read more on how to watch ORF from abroad here.

FIFA World Cup broadcasting in Bulgaria

In Bulgaria BNT will broadcast from the World Cup in Rio, and with a Bulgarian IP address it is quite easy to watch this as well!

FIFA World Cup broadcasting in Brazil

One of the favorites to win the tournament itself is Brazil, and if you want to watch the events on Brazilian TV the rights are shared between Rede Globo, Rede Bandeirantes, SporTV, ESPN Brasil and FOX Sports.

FIFA World Cup broadcasting in Canada

Canada will not actually play in the World Cup, but there are millions of people curious on what is going on. The channels with the rights to broadcast from Rio in 2014 are CBC, Sportsnet and TVA.

FIFA World Cup broadcasting in Czech Republic

The channel with the rights in the Czech Republic is Ceska Televizie, meaning that this is free for everyone to watch online if they only have a Czech IP address.

FIFA World Cup broadcasting in Denmark

Just like with the Winter Olympics the rights to broadcast from the World Cup in football in Rio is shared between DR and TV2 in Denmark. DR is a free public channel while TV2 has an online area which you need to pay to watch. Common for both is that you need a Danish IP address to watch.

FIFA World Cup broadcasting in Finland

YLE will broadcast from the World Cup in Finland. That is a free public channel, so with a Finnish IP address you can access their stream online and watch what is going on in Brazil easily.

FIFA World Cup broadcasting in France

While France 2 and 3 broadcasted from the Winter Olympics in 2014, TF1 will broadcast from the World Cup. They do have a live stream so probably it will be quite easy and convenient to watch the Football World Cup online with French commentaries.

FIFA World Cup broadcasting in Germany

ARD and ZDF will broadcast from Rio in Germany. That is the same combination as with the Winter Olympics, and if tradition stays the same ZDF will broadcast the larger part, while ARD stays a bit more in the background. Both channels have easy to use live streams, so with a German IP address this can be accessed easily.

FIFA World Cup broadcasting in Hungary

The national television in Hungary MTV will send live from Brazil and the World Cup 2014 in Rio. With a Hungarian IP address you can quite easily watch their live broadcast online.

FIFA World Cup broadcasting in Iceland

RUV in Iceland will broadcast from the World Cup 2014. With an IP in Iceland you will most likely be able to watch their live stream online.

FIFA World Cup broadcasting in Italy

It will be a combination of Sky Italia and Rai that will broadcast from Brazil to the viewers in Italy.

FIFA World Cup broadcasting in Ireland

RTÉ will broadcast from the World Cup in 2014 in Ireland.

FIFA World Cup broadcasting in Mexico

Televisa and TV Azteca have the rights together to broadcast from Brazil.

FIFA World Cup broadcasting in Netherlands

NOS, the amazing Dutch channel, will broadcast from the Football World Championship. They have great live stream and easy to watch online.

FIFA World Cup broadcasting in Norway

The Norwegian State Channel (NRK) have the rights to broadcast from the World Cup 2014 together with TV2. With a Norwegian IP address both can be watched online, though you need a subscription to watch the parts broadcasted by TV2.

FIFA World Cup broadcasting in Romania

TVR has the rights to show whats going on in the Football World Championship in Romania.

FIFA World Cup broadcasting in Russia

Pervyi Kanal and VGTRK will broadcast in Russia.

FIFA World Cup broadcasting in Slovakia

RTVS will broadcast in Slovakia. You can watch their stream online with a Slovakian IP address.

FIFA World Cup broadcasting in Slovenia

RTVSLO will broadcast from the World Cup in Slovenia.

FIFA World Cup broadcasting in Spain

GOL 1, a pay TV, will broadcast all matches, while some matches will be sent for free at Telecinco, Cuatro and Energy.

FIFA World Cup broadcasting in Sweden

SVT (Swedish National Television) and  TV4 will broadcast from the world cup in Sweden. TV4 is a pay for TV while SVT has free online live stream for those with a Swedish IP address.

FIFA World Cup broadcasting in Switzerland

SRG SSR has the rights in Switzerland, meaning that you can watch on SRF, Deux and RTS online. Amazing place to watch from the World Cup.

FIFA World Cup broadcasting in the United Kingdom

BBC and ITV will broadcast in the UK from the World Cup. Both channels can be watched online with a UK IP address, so this is probably the best way to watch from the football World Championship online with English commentators.

FIFA World Cup broadcasting in the United States

ABC, ESPN and Univision will broadcast football live during the World Cup. Exactly what channel will broadcast and show what is yet unknown.

Do not forget to bookmark this page and come back as the time for the World Cup draws closer. We will tell you how and where to watch the World Cup 2014 online! For more information you should also consider visiting watchworldcup.net

 

Best VPN Services To Watch FIFA World Cup 2014 Online 

Name of the Provider	Website Address
Hide My Ass	Visit Provider
Strong VPN	Visit Provider
Switch VPN	Visit Provider
Pure VPN	Visit Provider
IPVanish VPN	Visit Provider
Hotspot Shield Elite	Visit Provider

 

HMA! Tip: How to use OpenVPN on an iPad or iPhone

Until recently it has not been possible to use the OpenVPN protocol on an iPad or iPhone (except if you “jailbreak” your device), as the VPN settings in iOS devices do not include OpenVPN as an option.

Fortunately the good people over at OpenVPN, Inc. have released an app into the App Store which allows the creation of an OpenVPN connection, and you can use this in conjunction with your HMA Pro VPN account.

First of all you need to download the OpenVPN app from the App Store onto your Apple device.
Next you need to import the profile of the HMA! Pro VPN server you wish to connect to. This can be done in a number of ways.

(1) Use Dropbox
If you have the Dropbox app installed, you can link to this public dropbox, and add it to your Dropbox list of folders.
Next, select from TCP or UDP protocols and open the relevant folder. Then, select from the list of servers and open the file. Click the icon in the top right hand corner, which will give you the option “Open in OpenVPN” – and select that option.

(2) Use your computer and email
On your PC or Mac download and extract the files on your computer here
You can then email the configuration file you want to use to yourself and open the email on
your iPad or iPhone. Once you have the attachment, you can click the “open in” icon and select OpenVPN.

Whichever route you use, by now you will have launched the OpenVPN application. Next, click the “+” button to add the profile, then add your usual HMA Pro VPN user name and password.
Finally, you just need to move the connection switch on the app to “on” and you’re done!
You can repeat these steps and install various VPN servers, so you have a range to choose from.
We’ll soon be releasing our own native iOS app for iPad and iPhone, but right now this is probably the easiest way to get set up.

You can find more details and screenshots at our support page

Name of the Provider	Website Address
Hide My Ass	Visit Provider
Strong VPN	Visit Provider
Switch VPN	Visit Provider
Pure VPN	Visit Provider
IPVanish VPN	Visit Provider
Hotspot Shield Elite	Visit Provider

 

HMA! Tip: What is a dynamic DNS host and what do I need it for?

Dynamic DNS hosts are a useful tool for many VPN users, but using one also makes sense without a VPN.
Most IPs are dynamic – which means that they change on every reconnection. This happens with the IPs your internet provider assigns to you as well as the IPs you are given when connecting to our VPN service.

Of course, you won’t know your IP before you manually check it at IP verifying websites and when you’re not at your computer, you won’t be able to do that, making it impossible to access your computer externally.


There are countless reasons why you may want to access your home computer from somewhere else, for example, on vacation or when visiting a friend. Perhaps to stream music, download files or access important documents.

Now unless you checked your IP and wrote it down before leaving (assuming it has not already changed since then), you’ll be unable to do that. That’s where a dynamic DNS host comes in. It looks like a simple subdomain, e.g. MyPC.no-ip.org and always points to your current IP, independent of any IP changes due to reconnection or VPN use. This enables you to simply access your home computer through that hostname instead of its current IP. Simply connect to it.

Requirements for this are that you registered a dynamic DNS hostname somewhere and that you have set up a dynamic DNS client either on your router or on your computer, which keeps updating the hostname with your current IP every few seconds.

This especially makes sense when using a VPN on a virtual private server (VPS) or a dedicated server as upon VPN connection, you have to access it through the VPN IP instead of its usual IP.

For more information, links and examples of use check our article about Dynamic DNS

Name of the Provider	Website Address
Hide My Ass	Visit Provider
Strong VPN	Visit Provider
Switch VPN	Visit Provider
Pure VPN	Visit Provider
IPVanish VPN	Visit Provider
Hotspot Shield Elite	Visit Provider