Fifa world cup 2014 Features

After the World Cup overcame fears about protests, half-finished stadiums and chaotic transport to deliver an exciting tournament, next up for Brazil is 2016 Olympics, which poses an even bigger challenge.

The 64 games in Brazil were by turns exciting and enthralling, captivating and compelling.Now that the World Cup is over, the recurring problems for FIFA will resurface gradually.

The 1-0 victory over Argentina at the Maracana that gave Germany their fourth title and made them the first European team to win the championship on South American soil completed a circle for Loew that began in 2004, when he became Juergen Klinsmann's assistant.

Brazilians lost at what they were certain they would win -- soccer -- and won where so many expected failure --organization.

The FIFA World Cup 2014 in Brazil saw a great numbers game operating during the month-long event. Germany won their fourth title after a period of 24 years while Argentina reached the final after the same number of years. Incidentally, Brazil had also won their 1994 title after a time gap of 24 years. Italy won it after 24 years in 2006.

Long before the curtain came down on the month-long footballing carnival with Germany's victory on Sunday at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, many had already decided it deserved to be remembered as the greatest in the event's 84-year history.

Past FIFA World Cup tournaments saw a French player strike in 2010, Zinedine Zidane's headbutt finale in 2006 and Diego Maradona expelled from the 1994 World Cup for drug use. Rarely, however, has sport's most watched event seen so much concentrated drama.

Manuel Neuer was not the starting keeper for Germany till 2009. Only after Robert Enke's tragic death did Neuer come into the limelight as Joachim Loew's premier goalie for the FIFA World Cup 2010.

Lionel Messi's record-breaking brilliance over the last six seasons at Camp Nou cannot be understated, but until he wins the World Cup, he will never fully stand the comparisons.

With markets driven by sentiment as well as fundamental factors such as growth, dividend payments and inflation, a big sporting defeat can depress the mood of traders and cause the stock market to underperform.