The 2014 FIFA World Cup was the 20th FIFA World Cup, the tournament for the association football world championship, which took PLACE at several venues across Brazil. Germany won the tournament and took its fourth title, its first since the reunification of West and East Germany in 1990, by DEFEATING Argentina 1–0 in the final – the same result as the 1990 FIFA World Cup Final.The tournament began on 12 JUNE with a group stage and concluded on 13 July with the championship match.The national teams of 31 countries advanced through qualification competitions to participate with the host nation Brazil in the final tournament. A total of 64 matches were played in 12 cities across Brazil in either new or redeveloped stadiums. For the first time at a World Cup finals, match officials used goal-line technology, as well as vanishing foam for free kicks.All world champion teams since the first World Cup in 1930 – Argentina, Brazil, England, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Uruguay – qualified for this competition. The title holders, Spain, were eliminated at the group stage, along with previous winners England and Italy. Uruguay was eliminated in the Round of 16 and France was eliminated at the quarter-finals. Host and 2013 Confederations Cup winner Brazil lost to Germany in the first semi-final. By winning the final, Germany became the first EUROPEAN team to win a World Cup in the Americas.