Ladies and gentlemen, after months and months and months of tortuous anticipation, the time is finally upon us. In just nine short days, the greatest footballing spectacle on the planet will begin, as 32 teams from across the globe gather in Brazil for the 2014 Fifa World Cup.
Now for the next month, I will be your eyes and ears at the big stage, bringing you all the stats and analysis every step of the way through both my twitter feed and a weekly World Cup column, right here in the Bonnyville Nouvelle.
With the tournament still a week away, I will be taking the time over the next two weeks to bring you my predictions on what I think we can all expect to see unfold in South America. Who will be this year's ‘dark horse'? Which ‘top' nation can we expect to see crash and burn, and of course who will we see lifting the trophy come July 13.
We shall begin with the team I expect to do rather well playing on its home continent, Uruguay. After a third place in South Africa in 2010 some may say considering La Celeste as potential underdogs to be foolish, but heading into the tournament there hasn't been much publicity about a side that already has two World Cup triumphs to its name.
Led by arguably one of the best players in the world today in Luis Suarez, Uruguay have one of the best strike forces in the entire tournament, and after firing Liverpool to an unlikely second place finish in the most recent Barclay's Premier League season, I wouldn't put it past Suarez to grab the goals needed for another extended World Cup run.
Sadly for myself, whenever the topic of perennial underachievers comes to the fore, the three lions usually find themselves somewhere near the top of the pile. Since tasting its first and only World Cup victory on home soil in 1966, the English have been regular let downs on the grandest stage and unfortunately, I don't see them advancing beyond the group stage this time around.
Sitting in Group D alongside Uruguay and World Cup powerhouses Italy, it's going to take something special for Roy Hodgson's men to progress to the knockout stage this year. With several up and coming talents such as Raheem Sterling, Ross Barkley, Alex Oxlade Chamberlain and Luke Shaw expected to make their World Cup debuts, this year's tournament may come four years too soon for the Brits.
Now, with tears well and truly forming in my eyes after that concession, it's time to take a look at the teams I expect to be battling it out for World Cup glory this time next month.
Ever since it was announced that the 2014 World Cup would be held in Brazil, the five-time winners have been widely regarded as the favourites to take home a sixth international title. Although I expect to see a strong showing from Brazil, ultimately I believe they will come up just short. This is arguably one of the weakest Brazilian teams we've seen for decades, so it will take a big effort from the likes of Neymar, Hulk and Thiago Silva to live up to what I'm sure will be incredulous pressure once the tournament kicks off June 12.
After Ghana shocked the world in 2010, coming within a hand's reach...literally...of securing a first-ever semi-final berth for an African team at the world's premier footballing event, I'm expecting to see another strong showing from the continent, this time from one of Ghana's western African neighbours the Ivory Coast.
Led by the inspirational Didier Drogba in what could very well be his international swansong, The Elephants are definitely better equipped to make an extended run in this year's competition than when they were placed in the dreaded ‘group of death' in 2010. This time around the Ivorians will have to tough it out with Colombia to see who will finish first and second in a group that also includes Greece and Japan. If Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure can replicate his club form from the past 12 months on the international stage, we could very well see another fairytale story unfold in the coming weeks.
Next week, I'll be breaking down the four teams I think could go the distance in Brazil, while also discussing which players I expect to step up to the plate and give their team a fighting chance of going home with the gold.
