By David Owen

Adidas and Nike go head-to-head in both World Cup semi-finals ©Bongarts/Getty ImagesAnd so, with just four of the 64 matches remaining, Brazil 2014 has come down, as one always suspected it might, to a duel between the two biggest brands and the two confederations whose top teams have monopolised the World Cup trophy for 84 years.

Both semi-finals are heavyweight clashes between Nike and Adidas, UEFA - whose teams have won 10 of the 19 World Cups contested since 1930 - and CONMEBOL, the South American confederation - whose teams have won the other nine.

First, today Brazil (Nike) take on Germany (Adidas) in Belo Horizonte; then a day later Argentina (Adidas) play The Netherlands (Nike) in São Paulo.

If you count 1950 - when there was, technically, no final, though the decisive Brazil versus Uruguay clash is widely regarded as such - the four semi-finalists have a tally of 21 World Cup final appearances between them.

Nike teams still have the edge in terms of goals scored and now lead their Adidas counterparts, after four low-scoring quarter-finals, by 58 to 50 - discounting penalty shootouts.

With fewer than 100 players still directly involved in the competition, Germany has now taken over from England as the country whose clubs have the most surviving players at the 2014 World Cup, based on the clubs assigned to players in the original squad-lists on FIFA's website.

Germany, who play Brazil tonight in the first World Cup semi-final, is the country whose league has the most players still in the tournament ©AFP/Getty ImagesGermany, who play Brazil tonight in the first World Cup semi-final, is the country whose league has the most players still in the tournament ©AFP/Getty Images



Another of the semi-finalists, The Netherlands, has moved up to fourth place in this list, overhauling Spain and France.

Clubs from 15 countries in all have players who will fight out the decisive stages of the tournament.

Bayern Munich is the club with by far the highest number of players - nine - still involved in Brazil 2014.

The German giants are followed by Chelsea and Feyenoord with five each.

Countries whose clubs have surviving players at the 2014 World Cup are, in descending order: Germany (21), England (17), Italy (13), Holland (10), Spain (eight), Brazil and France (four), Argentina and Portugal (three), Turkey, Ukraine and Wales (two) and Canada, Mexico and Russia (one).

Clubs with more than one player still alive at the tournament are: Bayern Munich (nine); Chelsea and Feyenoord (five); Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund, Internazionale and Manchester City (four); Ajax, Arsenal, Napoli, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid and Schalke 04 (three); and Atlético Mineiro, Benfica, Boca Juniors, Lazio, PSV Eindhoven and Swansea City (two).