World Cup 2014 Field: Late Qualifiers That Will Make Deep Run in Brazil

Once the World Cup starts, it does not matter how or when you qualified. All that matters is that the team is there and ready to play. 

The field for the 2014 event is almost set, and that fact alone should have fans excited. The only thing left to decide is whether Uruguay or Jordan can get the last spot, although the former is up 5-0 in the two-legged playoff.

Still, fans will look deeply into the qualifying process to see how good each team really is. Squads that dominated the earlier rounds will certainly take plenty of momentum with them into next summer.

However, there are a few countries that needed an extra playoff in order to qualify. Despite this fact, they can make a deep run in Brazil at the World Cup. 

Portugal

The playoff between Portugal and Sweden was billed as a matchup between two of the best scorers in the world: Cristiano Ronaldo and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The pair did not disappoint.

After Ronaldo scored the only goal of the first leg, he earned a hat-trick in the second battle. Meanwhile, Ibrahimovic managed just two scores in the match and could not help Sweden get over the hump. 

Still, the performance was so good that even athletes in other sports took notice:

However, the playoff matches just showed what we already knew, which is that Ronaldo keeps Portugal a contender against any opponent the world.

While the squad could only manage second place behind Russia in group qualifying, it has still shown plenty of success at the big tournaments. At both Euro 2012 and the 2010 World Cup, Portugal were knocked out with close losses to eventual champion Spain.

A better draw could help the team go a little deeper this time around.

France

Finishing second in group play behind Spain is nothing to be upset about. However, France came to the brink of elimination after losing its first playoff match to Ukraine by a score of 2-0.

According to the Score, fans were not too hopeful heading into the second matchup after a pitiful performance the first time out:

However, the only people that needed to believe were the ones on the pitch for France. They came through with an impressive 3-0 victory at home to win the aggregate score and secure a bid to the World Cup.

While there are still some issues with leadership, there is no denying the talent on the roster. Franck Ribery leads an elite attack that features Karim Benzema and Olivier Giroud, two players having breakout seasons with their clubs. Add in EPL stars like Samir Nasri, Yohan Cabaye and others, and this is a tough offense to stop.

Of course, the defense is just as solid, with players who have plenty of experience in big moments. Hugo Lloris is also among the best goalkeepers in the world.

With skill at every position, it will be hard to imagine France failing to make it to at least the quarterfinals in Brazil.

Uruguay

As previously mentioned, Uruguay still need to hold onto a 5-0 lead against Jordan in order to qualify. However, a loss in this case would be on the list as one of the biggest chokes in the history of sports.

They should continue their strong play in the return home and earn the bid to Brazil on Wednesday. 

The amazing thing is that the offensive outburst was not just a fluke against a bad team. Uruguay feature two of the best goalscorers in the world between Edinson Cavani and Luis Suarez. Each of them have the ability to create opportunities for themselves out of nothing and get a goal at any point.

Additionally, they have experience in players like Diego Forlan, who has been successful for clubs in England, Italy, Spain and now Brazil. He has seen it all and will provide the rest of his squad with leadership throughout the tournament.

The only question going forward is the defense, which struggled at times during qualifying. This is what led to a fifth-place finish in the CONMEBOL table.

However, playing in South America will give Uruguay something of a home-field advantage, and the offense has enough skill to be a dangerous team next summer.

	CAF (Africa)
	AFC (Asia)
	UEFA (Europe)
	CONCACAF (North and Central America)
	OFC (Oceania)
	CONMEBOL (South America)
	Still to Qualify
Algeria	Cameroon	Ivory Coast
Ghana	Nigeria
Australia	Iran	Japan
South Korea
Belgium	Bosnia-Herzegovina	Croatia
England	France	Germany
Greece	Italy	Netherlands
Portugal	Russia	Spain
Switzerland
Costa Rica	Honduras	Mexico
United States
	None
Argentina	Brazil	Chile
Colombia	Ecuador
Uruguay	Jordan

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