The FIFA World Cup is 22 days away and thousands of football supporters from around the World will be descending on Germany to see the tournament kick-off on the 10th June and with the hope of seeing their Country lift the Jules Rimet trophy.

To qualify for the tournament teams are split up into the six FIFA continental zones (Africa, Asia, North and Central America and Caribbean, South America, Oceania, and Europe) and this determine which teams will play in the World Cup games. The teams who have qualified for the FIFA World Cup are then divided into 8 groups.

This year the groups are divided into:

Group A: Germany, Costa Rica, Poland, Ecuador
Group B: England, Paraguay, Trinidad & Tobago Sweden
Group C: Argentina, Ivory Coast, Serbia & Montenegro, Holland
Group D: Mexico, Iran, Angola, Portugal
Group E: Italy, Ghana, USA, Czech Republic
Group G: France, Switzerland, S. Korea, Togo
Group H: Spain, Ukraine, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia

The top two teams from each group advance to a second stage, known as the knockout stage. At this point, teams play against each other in one-off matches, with teams being eliminated until the quarter finals, semi finals and the finals. The losing semi finalists also play to determine third place.

FIFA World Cup Venue Information

I’ll be going you the low-down of each of the venues and I will include some useful facts and figures for those of you that aren’t football fanatics. Today, I am featuring the city which will host the final at the Berlin Olympiastadion.

Host City: Berlin
Stadium: Olympiastadion
Capacity: 74,220

Berlin is a vast city renowned for nightlife, attractions, and history. Attractions include the Berlin Wall, Brandenburg Gate and the new National Gallery. There are more bars and cafes here than in any other European city, and the tradition of 24-hour entertainment is alive and well. Service charges are generally added to restaurant and hotel bills in Berlin, making tipping unnecessary. The cost of service should be clearly stated and visible in brochures or on menus.

Travel Safety Hints & Tips

Berlin is a safe place compared to most other cities of it’s size but still there are crime problems as well. In general no specific rules apply with the exception of public transportation and tourist areas where pickpockets are a problem. Watch your bags during rush hours and at larger train stations.

You can see it now - companies sickness record doubles – Football supporters glued to the television for four weeks and many disappointed supporters as their team gets knocked out of the tournament.

Let the battle commence (on the football pitch!)

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