It’s time! The planet’s greatest sporting event has arrived! Get ready for the 2014 World Cup, kicking off on Thursday 12 June at 23:00. For those especially excited, consider attending 360 Istanbul’s opening ceremony event.
Unfortunately, Turkey won’t be participating in the 2014 World Cup. FIFA also happens to be plagued with allegations of corruption and this year’s edition of the tournament is surrounded by political unrest. Additionally, with the tournament being staged in Brazil, the kickoff times are somewhat inconvenient if you plan to watch all the matches while maintaining a professional life.
All that being said, everything is proceeding and most people are likely to watch regardless. The World Cup only happens every four years… So bust out your nation’s flag and find a venue to revel in all the glory of the beautiful game. TRT1 has the rights to all the matches, so they should be easy enough to watch.
We’ve had some suggestions given to us, but we’d be happy to add to our list. So if you have any suggestions, feel free to comment or send them our way. Some places featuring WC matches are as follows:
North Shield Pub – Sultanahmet
Ritim Bar – Nevizade – Beyoğlu
James Joyce – Nevizade – Beyoğlu
Pub Street Station – Kadiköy
Taps – Bebek
Keep in mind the hours of your match and whether a match is occurring alongside another group’s match… in which case you might want to call ahead and ensure they’ll be screening the one you prefer.
We’ve included the schedule for the tournament, adjusted for Turkish time:
GROUP A – BRAZIL, CAMEROON, MEXICO, CROATIA
June 12 Sao Paulo, 2300: Brazil v Croatia
June 13 Natal, 1900: Mexico v Cameroon
June 17 Fortaleza, 2200: Brazil v Mexico
June 18 Manaus, 2200: Cameroon v Croatia
June 23 Brasilia, 2300: Cameroon v Brazil
June 23 Recife, 2300: Croatia v Mexico
GROUP B – SPAIN, CHILE, AUSTRALIA , HOLLAND
June 13 Salvador, 2200: Spain v Holland
June 13 Cuiaba, 0100: Chile v Australia
June 18 Rio de Janeiro, 0100: Spain v Chile
June 18 Porto Alegre, 1900: Australia v Holland
June 23 Curitiba, 1900: Australia v Spain
June 23 Sao Paulo, 1900: Holland v Chile
GROUP C – COLOMBIA, IVORY COAST, JAPAN, GREECE
June 14 Belo Horizonte, 1900: Colombia v Greece
June 14 Recife, 0100: Ivory Coast v Japan
June 19 Brasilia, 1900: Colombia v Ivory Coast
June 19 Natal, 0100: Japan v Greece
June 24 Cuiaba, 2300: Japan v Colombia
June 24 Fortaleza, 2300: Greece v Ivory Coast
GROUP D – URUGUAY, ITALY, COSTA RICA, ENGLAND
June 14 Fortaleza, 2200: Uruguay v Costa Rica
June 14 Manaus, 0100: England v Italy
June 19 Sao Paulo, 2200: Uruguay v England
June 20 Recife, 1900: Italy v Costa Rica
June 24 Natal, 1900: Italy v Uruguay
June 24 Belo Horizonte, 1900: Costa Rica v England
GROUP E – SWITZERLAND, ECUADOR, HONDURAS, FRANCE
June 15 Brasilia, 1900: Switzerland v Ecuador
June 15 Porto Alegre, 2200: France v Honduras
June 20 Salvador, 2200: Switzerland v France
June 20 Curitiba, 0100: Honduras v Ecuador
June 25 Manaus, 2300: Honduras v Switzerland
June 25 Rio de Janeiro, 2300: Ecuador v France
GROUP F – ARGENTINA, NIGERIA, IRAN, BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA
June 15 Rio de Janeiro, 0100: Argentina v Bosnia-Herzegovina
June 16 Curitiba, 2200: Iran v Nigeria
June 21 Belo Horizonte, 1900: Argentina v Iran
June 21 Cuiaba, 0100: Nigeria v Bosnia-Herzegovina
June 25 Porto Alegre, 1900: Nigeria v Argentina
June 25 Salvador, 1900: Bosnia-Herzegovina v Iran
GROUP G – GERMANY, GHANA, UNITES STATES, PORTUGAL
June 16 Salvador, 1900: Germany v Portugal
June 16 Natal, 0100: Ghana v United States
June 21 Fortaleza, 2200: Germany v Ghana
June 22 Manaus, 2200: United States v Portugal
June 26 Recife, 1900: United States v Germany
June 26 Brasilia, 1900: Portugal v Ghana
GROUP H – BELGIUM, ALGERIA, SOUTH KOREA, RUSSIA
June 17 Belo Horizonte, 1900: Belgium v Algeria
June 17 Cuiaba, 0100: Russia v South Korea
June 22 Rio de Janeiro, 0100: Belgium v Russia
June 22 Porto Alegre, 1900: South Korea v Algeria
June 26 Sao Paulo, 2300: South Korea v Belgium
June 26 Curitiba, 2300: Algeria v Russia
LAST 16
Match 49 – June 28 Belo Horizonte, 1900: Winner A v Runner-up B
Match 50 – June 28 Rio de Janeiro, 2300: Winner C v Runner-up D
Match 51 – June 29 Fortaleza, 1900: Winner B v Runner-up A
Match 52 – June 29 Recife, 2300: Winner D v Runner-up C
Match 53 – June 30 Brasilia, 1900: Winner E v Runner-up F
Match 54 – June 30 Porto Alegre, 2300: Winner G v Runner-up H
Match 55 – July 1 Sao Paulo, 1900: Winner F v Runner-up E
Match 56 – July 1 Salvador, 2300: Winner H v Runner-up G
QUARTER-FINALS
Match 57 – July 4 Fortaleza, 2300: Winner Match 49 v Winner Match 50
Match 58 – July 4 Rio de Janeiro, 1900: Winner Match 53 v Winner Match 54
Match 59 – July 5 Salvador, 2300: Winner Match 51 v Winner Match 52
Match 60 – July 5 Brasilia, 1900: Winner Match 55 v Winner Match 56
SEMI-FINALS
July 8 Belo Horizonte, 2300: Winner Match 57 v Winner Match 58
July 9 Sao Paulo, 2300: Winner Match 59 v Winner Match 60
THIRD-PLACE PLAY-OFF
July 12 Brasilia, 2300
FINAL
July 13 Rio de Janeiro, 2200
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So, there you have it! Lots to be excited for. Let us know who you’ll be supporting and where you plan to enjoy the matches. We’d be happy to add the venues to our list.
Predictions are of course welcome as well… this author is putting his money (and hopes) on Argentina to embarrass their Brazilian rivals by taking the cup home.
