World Cup 2014: MLSsoccer.com's World Cup Draw preview

Simon Borg

On Friday morning, in Bahia, Brazil, FIFA will conduct the draw for the 2014 World Cup (11:30 am ET | ESPN2).

WATCH GROUPS FILL IN REAL-TIME ON MLSSOCCER.COM

The draw will distribute the 32 qualifying nations into the eight groups that will compete in the first round of the tournament. But that is just the practicality. The truth is, the draw is so much more: a tension-filled, dream-making-and-crushing soap opera.
Here's everything you need to know.

HOW THE NATIONS ARE GROUPED

POT 1:Brazil, Spain, Germany, Argentina, Colombia, Belgium, Uruguay, Switzerland

POT 2: Chile, Ecuador, Algeria, Cameroon, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nigeria

POT 3: Australia, Iran, Japan, Republic of Korea, Costa Rica, Honduras, Mexico, USA

POT 4:Portugal, Italy, Netherlands, Greece, England, Croatia, France, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Russia

Pot 1: Brazil, Spain, Germany, Argentina, Colombia, Belgium, Uruguay and Switzerland
Pot 2: Chile, Ecuador, Algeria, Cameroon, Ghana, Ivory Coast and Nigeria
Pot 3: Australia, Iran, Japan, Republic of Korea, Costa Rica, Honduras, Mexico and USA
Pot 4: Portugal, Italy, Netherlands, Greece, England, Croatia, France, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Russia

HOW THE DRAW WORKS
NOTE: Teams from the same region cannot be drawn into the same group except for a maximum of two European teams in any single group.

STEP 1: One European team from Pot 4 will be placed into Pot 2 to ensure 8 teams in each pot

STEP 2: The eight seeds from Pot 1 are assigned groups from Group A through Group H

STEP 3: A ball will be drawn from a special Pot X, featuring the four seeded South American teams. The lone European team in Pot 2 (STEP 1) will be assigned to that South American team's group in order to avoid the possiblity of having three European teams in any one group.

STEP 4: The rest of the Pot 2 teams are randomly drawn into the other seven groups (Note: Chile and Ecuador cannot be drawn into teams with other South American teams).

STEP 5: Pot 3 teams are randomly drawn into the eight groups.

STEP 6: Pot 4 teams are randomly drawn into the eight groups.

READ: FIFA's official World Cup draw procedures

blank" title="//www.youtube.com/watch?v=LaHRpqDo1ok" rel="nofollow" dir="ltr" class="yt-uix-redirect-link">//www.youtube.com/watc...</a> Replay of other live events: <a data-cke-saved-href="//www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCGIzmTE4d0gtFz7R8eA52pTH7ULx9xB" href="//www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCGIzmTE4d0gtFz7R8eA52pTH7ULx9xB" target="blank" title="//www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCGIzmTE4d0gtFz7R8eA52pTH7ULx9xB" rel="nofollow" dir="ltr" class="yt-uix-redirect-link">//www.youtube.com/play...</a> More video news about FIFA: <a data-cke-saved-href="//www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9A3A80E3068FE40B" href="//www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9A3A80E3068FE40B" target="blank" title="//www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9A3A80E3068FE40B" rel="nofollow" dir="ltr" class="yt-uix-redirect-link">//www.youtube.com/play...</a> 10 things you don't know about FIFA: <a data-cke-saved-href="//www.youtube.com/watch?v=31BwWkKvz4g" href="//www.youtube.com/watch?v=31BwWkKvz4g" target="blank" title="//www.youtube.com/watch?v=31BwWkKvz4g" rel="nofollow" dir="ltr" class="yt-uix-redirect-link">//www.youtube.com/watc...</a> The Three Pillars of FIFA's Mission: <a data-cke-saved-href="//www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUHYOx8cv90" href="//www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUHYOx8cv90" target="blank" title="//www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUHYOx8cv90" rel="nofollow" dir="ltr" class="yt-uix-redirect-link">//www.youtube.com/watc...</a> Subscribe to FIFA on YouTube to stay updated on daily releases: <a data-cke-saved-href="//www.youtube.com/subscriptioncenter?adduser=fifatv" href="//www.youtube.com/subscriptioncenter?adduser=fifatv" target="blank" title="//www.youtube.com/subscriptioncenter?adduser=fifatv" rel="nofollow" dir="ltr" class="yt-uix-redirect-link">//www.youtube.com/subs...</a> More videos from FIFA on YouTube: <a data-cke-saved-href="//www.youtube.com/fifa" href="//www.youtube.com/fifa" target="blank" title="//www.youtube.com/fifa" rel="nofollow" dir="ltr" class="yt-uix-redirect-link">//www.youtube.com/fifa</a> ">Eight former players representing the eight former World Cup champions -- Cafu (Brazil), Fabio Cannavaro (Italy), Mario Kempes (Argentina), ex-MLS player Lothar Matthaus (Germany), Alcides Ghiggia (Uruguay), Fernando Hierro (Spain), Zinedine Zidane (France) and Sir Geoff Hurst (England) will help FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke conduct the draw.

WORLD CUP DRAW SIMULATORS

Try your hand at picking the groups using one of these three World Cup draw simulators:

MLSSOCCER.COM'S PRE-DRAW COVERAGE

KICKTV LIVE POST-DRAW SHOW, WITH SB NATION

After the draw, our friends at KICKTV and SBNation.com will co-host a live analysis show, hosted by former USMNT defender Jimmy Conrad and SB Nation's Matt Ufford. The show starts at 1 pm ET. WATCH IT HERE.

USMNT MANAGER JURGEN KLINSMANN ON WORLD CUP DRAW
You can start making plans; you can start analyzing the teams and get familiar with the locations where you play them. You get to work. That’s what you love to do, and we want to do everything possible and be perfectly prepared for those three opponents and also already look ahead to what we can expect in the Round of 16 if we pass the group stage.
This real thing - this is what you work for two and a half years..
The process starts now. You need to lead them six months in advance in terms of what they’re going to expect and to make sure that they are ready because once you kick off the first game they’re going be emotionally going 200 miles per hour. “ - See more at: http://www.ussoccer.com/news/mens-national-team/2013/12/131204-mnt-jk-quote-sheet.aspx#sthash.wl3ZoX5S.dpuf

"You can start making plans," Klinsmann told USsoccer.com. "You can start analyzing the teams and get familiar with the locations where you play them. You get to work.

"We want to do everything possible and be perfectly prepared for those three opponents and also already look ahead to what we can expect in the Round of 16 if we pass the group stage."

You can start making plans; you can start analyzing the teams and get familiar with the locations where you play them. You get to work. That’s what you love to do, and we want to do everything possible and be perfectly prepared for those three opponents and also already look ahead to what we can expect in the Round of 16 if we pass the group stage.
This real thing - this is what you work for two and a half years..
The process starts now. You need to lead them six months in advance in terms of what they’re going to expect and to make sure that they are ready because once you kick off the first game they’re going be emotionally going 200 miles per hour. “ - See more at: http://www.ussoccer.com/news/mens-national-team/2013/12/131204-mnt-jk-quote-sheet.aspx#sthash.wl3ZoX5S.dpuf

A LOOK BACK AT RECENT USMNT WORLD CUP DRAWS

1998 -- Group F: Germany, Yugoslavia, Iran, USA (Read the story here)

2002 -- Group D: South Korea, USA, Portugal, Poland (Read the story here)

2006 -- Group E: Italy, Ghana, Czech Republic, USA (Read the story here)

2010 -- Group C: USA, England, Slovenia, Algeria

Simon Borg -

@SimonBorg