#OnlyOnTwitter: World Cup draw

Saturday, 7 December 2013

The journey to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil began today as nations, fans, players and reporters converged for the World Cup draw — to find out who would play in #Brazil2014. Twitter was the place to follow the news, join the worldwide conversation, and watch intense rivalries unfold.

1.7 million Tweets were sent about the World Cup draw today.

Before the draw began, the President of Brazil @DilmaBR engaged the country’s biggest stars, @ClaroRonaldo and @NeymarJr:

Many sports journalists live-tweeted the announcement. This Tweet shows the complete field in one image:

 

The peak in conversation came at 12:17 pm EST when it was announced that the USA would join Germany, Ghana and Portugal in Group G. Twitter was abuzz with chatter about what many deem the most competitive group of the 2014 World Cup.

USA midfielder Michael Bradley took over the @USMNT team account using the hashtag #MB4. Bradley described Group G as the ‘group of death’.

Meanwhile, USA goalie Tim Howard took over @ESPN for a #TimmyTakeover during the draw, and shared his thoughts on a rematch with Ghana, playing against Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo (@cristiano), and coach @J_Klinsmann facing his former team:

 

Mezut Ozil (@MesutOzil1088), playmaker for Germany, had a message for his Group G rivals:

 

England also got a tough draw with Uruguay, Costa Rica and Italy in Group D. But England star @JackWilshere doesn’t seem too worried: 

The world’s highest paid player, Gareth Bale (@GarethBale11), picked a couple of matches to savour in the group stages of the tournament:

Sergio Aguero (@aguerosergiokun) of Argentina summed it all up with a reminder about what the competition means:

All of you who are devoted fans can prepare for the World Cup by following your favorite teams. Here’s a Twitter list to get you going.