| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 7 September 2012 – 19 November 2013 |
| Teams | 53 (from 1 confederation) |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 268 |
| Goals scored | 749 (2.79 per match) |
| Attendance | 6,145,801 (22,932 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) |  Robin van Persie(11 goals) |
← 2010 2018 → | |
| UEFA European Qualifiers |
|---|
The European Zone of qualification for the 2014 FIFA World Cup saw 53 teams competing for 13 places at the finals in Brazil. The draw for the qualification groups was held at the World Cup Preliminary Draw at the Marina da Glória in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on 30 July 2011.
The qualification format was the same as 2010. The teams were drawn into eight groups of six teams and one group of five, with the nine group winners qualifying directly for the final tournament. The eight best runners-up (determined by records against the first-, third-, fourth- and fifth-placed teams in their groups to ensure equity between different groups) were drawn in two-legged play-offs that determined the remaining four qualifying nations.[1]
The qualification process started on 7 September 2012, over two months after the end of UEFA Euro 2012, and ended on 19 November 2013. Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, England, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Russia, Spain, and Switzerland qualified in the first round by winning their groups. Croatia, France, Greece, and Portugal qualified via the second round play-offs.
- ^ "2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil – Preliminary Competition Format and Draw Procedures –" (PDF). FIFA. 29 July 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 September 2011. Retrieved 23 January 2012.