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World Cup 2014 fever is gripping the globe as teams claw their way toward the coveted title of “greatest in the world.”

But what if soccer skills didn’t matter? What if teams advanced based on their host country’s national debt?

What If National Debt Decided the World Cup?

(The bracket above is based what progressions the countries would make past the original group stage in the 2014 World Cup. All figures are in $USD)

Each World Cup Participant by National Debt

Country National Debt
U.S.A $15.68 trillion
U.K. (England) $9.577 trillion
Germany $5.717 trillion
France $5.371 trillion
Japan $3.017 trillion
Italy $2.604 trillion
Netherlands $2.347 trillion
Spain $2.278 trillion
Switzerland $1.544 trillion
Australia $1.506 trillion
Belgium $1.424 trillion
Russia $714.2 billion
Greece $568.7 billion
Portugal $508.3 billion
Brazil $475.9 billion
South Korea $430.9 billion
Mexico $354.9 billion
Chile $119 billion
Argentina $111.5 billion
Colombia $85.83 billion
Croatia $60.47 billion
Ecuador $19.91 billion
Uruguay $17.61 billion
Nigeria $15.73 billion
Iran $15.64 billion
Costa Rica $15.1 billion
Ghana $14.68 billion
Bosnia & Herzegovina $11.14 billion
Ivory Coast $8.959 billion
Honduras $6.173 billion
Algeria $5.278 billion
Cameroon $3.455 billion

For more information on each country, visit the CIA’s World Factbook.

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