South America

LED BY A COACH CALLED EL LOCO, CHILE MIGHT BE THE MOST INTERESTING TEAM IN GROUP H. THE RISING SOUTH AMERICAN POWER HAS A REPUTATION FOR LETHAL FINISHERS (SUCH AS Marcelo Salas and Iván Zamorano in the 1990s), and...

SPAIN

IN ITS QUEST FOR AN UNPRECEDENTED SIXTH WORLD CUP CHAMPIONSHIP, THE VAUNTED SELEÇÃO HAS PUT ITS TRUST IN A MAN OF FAITH

DURING ITS FIRST WORLD CUP FINALS, IN 2006, IVORY COAST DREW INTO THE GROUP OF DEATH. THE ELEPHANTS WERE THE WILD CARD, THE TEAM LEAST LIKELY TO ADVANCE FROM a pack of powerhouses—Argentina, the Netherlands and...

CHANGE CAME QUICKLY TO THE SELEÇÃO AFTER ITS 1-0 QUARTERFINAL LOSS TO FRANCE AT THE 2006 WORLD CUP. MANAGER CARLOS ALBERTO PARREIRA STEPPED DOWN JUST 10 DAYS after the tournament ended, taking with him the flawed...