Europe on top of the world
This year's FIFA World Cup™ has taken on a distinctly European flavour. For the fourth time in 18 editions of the global showpiece, the final quartet all hail from the old continent, with three former world champions among them.
Previous winners Germany and Italy are no strangers to the business end of the tournament, but one of them will fall by the wayside when they in Dortmund. The 1998 champions France will also be dreaming of glory after yet again ending Brazilian hopes, but must get past a Portugl side who are in the semi-finals for the first time since 1966.
Heading home, on the other hand, are three other teams that have conquered the world stage. Argentina and England will both be reflecting on their failures from the penalty spot, while Brazil must be wondering if France are not their bête noire. Brazil lost their crown to Les Bleus in 1998, and now the same fate has befallen them. Their run of 11 straight wins comes to a sorry end.
One explanation has to be that the Europeans love playing on their own continent. Looking back through the annals of FIFA World Cup history, European sides have found themselves among friends at this stage of the competition three times before: at Italy 1934 (Czechoslovakia, Germany, Austria and winners Italy), at England 1966 (Germany, Portugal, USSR and winners England) and at Spain 1982 (Germany, France, Poland and winners Italy).
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