The 2014 World Cup finally kicks off in Brazil tomorrow, with the host nation and tournament favorites preparing for the first match against Croatia.
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To get into the spirit of the world's biggest sporting event and put EA Sports' engine to the test, I've simulated the results using FIFA 14's new World Cup mode. Brazil walked away with a 1-0 win--certainly not an unlikely result. Brazil is a very good, talented side, but Croatia has a solid and well-rounded squad that will prove difficult to break down.
Fred got the scoring off to a start in the first half with a close-in finish from an Oscar pass in the 42nd minute. Chelsea and Brazil's number 11 also hit the woodwork in the second half, and almost played in Neymar for another, but it was called offside. The half included a few close chances for Croatia, and ended with Brazil pressure as the European side pushed up the field in search of a goal.
EA Predicts Germany Will Win The World Cup With 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil
We'll see how the real result stacks up tomorrow--I'm curious if FIFA 14 will get it right. I would personally select a similar result, perhaps 2-0 or 2-1 in favor of Brazil, but nobody can say for sure and it won't be an easy match for either side.
My simulation featured two AI-controlled sides on Legendary difficulty facing off against one another, using the squads expected to start tomorrow's game. There may be one or two differences in the selections or the way the team lines up, but these were approximations that are as close to likely as possible.
EA's own simulation of the whole tournament using 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil predicted that Germany would lift the trophy in July, making them the first European side to win the World Cup in South America--a difficult feat.
