Play our World Cup predictor

GROUP A Brazil Engineering pedigree: Brazilian, Alfredo Moser enjoyed his light bulb moment in 2002 when he turned a plastic bottle into a temporary light during a blackout. The Moser lamp is now used as an affordable bulb in homes in the Philippines, India, Bangladesh and Argentina. Moser's light is made by filling a plastic bottle with water and a few capfuls of bleach then planting it into your roof with the cap facing the heavens. But the jury's out on whether the gadget would work on a wet and windy November afternoon in Halifax. EC verdict: Brazil's renown as twinkle-toed footballing demi gods is beyond doubt but their engineering pedigree is far less proven. One to watch, but the hosts aren't getting out the group this time around. Croatia Greatest engineering moment: The first working parachute was built by 16th century Croatian engineer Fausto Veranzio after studying Leonardo Da Vinci's sketches of the contraption. Fausto carried out the very first base jump from a Venetian bell tower in 1617. EC verdict: Croatia also lays claim to the pen and zeppelin airship on its list of great inventions meaning this small Baltic state is something of a dark horse. First round knockout stages. Mexico Engineering pedigree: Don't believe everything you hear on Top Gear. Mexico's engineering stock is rising faster than Speedy Gonzales. Mexico has doubled the number of engineering students since 2011 and can count on more young engineering talent than Germany or Brazil. Ford, Nissan, GM and Siemens have major operations in the country. EC verdict: Get set to watch Mexico scorch up the global engineering ranks, but for now they're going home in the first round knockout stages Cameroon Engineering pedigree: Cameroonian engineer Arthur Zang pioneered a Cardiopad tablet device that allows medical staff to perform cardiovascular examinations remotely and transmit the data to surgeons. EC verdict: Plenty of potential for the future, but a group stage exit this time around. GROUP B Spain Engineering pedigree: Spain has a host of engineering first including early submarines, single rotor aircraft and the mop. The country is the 8th largest car producer in the world. EC verdict: Spain's football side are defending World and European champions, but it last enjoyed global hegemony as an engineering power when the Armada was heading across the Atlantic. That's not about to change anytime soon, first round knockout stage exit. Holland Engineering pedigree: The nation that gave us Cruijff, Bergkamp and Van Persie turns out to have equal flair on the production line as the football pitch. The thermostat, feedback control systems, gas lighting, the gyroscope – Holland has a legacy of great inventions disproportionate to its population of just sixteen million. EC verdict: It was all going so well for Holland until we discovered they also invented the first speed camera. We're issuing a first round knockout stages exit as a penalty. Chile Engineering pedigree: Chilean engineers recently invented flexible plates that help protect buildings against earthquakes. The plates are connected to a building's structural support system allowing structures to bend and dissipate the forces from the earthquake. EC verdict: A huge mining industry means engineering skills are highly prized in Chile. But, in a tough group, the Chileans will be departing at the group stage. Australia Engineering pedigree: Struth mate, the black-box recorder and ultrasound head up Australia's proudest engineering contributions. And here we were thinking all the country exported was teatime soap staples like Neighbours and Home and Away. What a bunch of flaming galahs we look now. EC verdict: Australia has a proud engineering heritage, but has seen stiffening global competition erode the sector's contribution to GDP from 25% in the 1960s to 10%. Making them more like us poms than they'd care to admit. Group stage knock out. GROUP C Colombia Engineering pedigree: One of the first external pacemakers was developed by Colombian electrical engineer Jorge Reynolds Pombo in the 1950s. The 45kg device was powered by a 12 volt battery. The pacemaker successfully regulated the heartbeat of a 70-year-old priest without the need of divine intervention. EC verdict: A heart stopping group stages exit. Japan Engineering pedigree: The home of lean manufacturing, a Toyota-inspired philosophy that expunges waste in all its guises from the factory floor and champions the importance of standardisation in improving quality. All global engineering giants have production processes inspired by the Japanese. Few master them quite as well as they do in the land of the rising sun. EC verdict: OK, so there are the more whacky Japanese engineering ideas like an artificial extendable arm for taking selfies and a mobile, head-strapped, toiler paper holder. However, Japan's peerless innovation and commitment to excellence mean their bound for World Cup engineering greatness. Runners up. Greece Engineering pedigree: The birthplace of literature, philosophy and democracy and not so bad when it came to making things either. A list of firsts including the crane, gears, calliper and even the alarm clock mean you'll have to get up early to beat the Greeks. EC verdict: They'll get out of the groups but the tactic of bearing gifts will only get you so far. First round knockout stage exit. Ivory Coast Engineering pedigree: A legacy of French colonial rule and recent civil war means Ivorians have not had the luxury of being able to explore their engineering talents. We hope for a brighter future. EC verdict: Group stage exit. GROUP D Uruguay Engineering pedigree: Uruguay have everything including the kitchen sink in their locker. That's the selective inverted sink (SIS) to be exact, a device used to protect crops from frost. Cold air is denser than warm air, meaning crops face prolonged exposure to icy conditions, even when the air temperature rises. The SIS is a chimney-like structure, which pulls cold air up and warm air down onto the grateful crops. EC verdict: Caught cold with a group stage exit. Costa Rica Engineering pedigree: Astronauts can now enjoy a triple shot skinny latte in zero gravity thanks to Costa Rican engineering students. The Space Infuser brews beans at lower temperatures and directs the liquid into a sealed container. A plus for coffee loving cosmonauts, but sad news for those who enjoyed the sight of crew dodging scorching globules of Guatemalan decaff on their way to the command module. EC verdict: Despite some 'out of this world' ideas, a group stage exit this time around. England Engineering pedigree: The jet engine, steam engine, internet, TV and don't forget the toothbrush. Reeling off England's finest engineering moments has you welling up with pride. Quick, let's have a burst of Land of Hope and Glory to keep the tears back. Public displays of emotion just aren't cricket, old chap. EC verdict: Let's do it for Isambard, Frankie Whittle and inventor of the Thermos flask, Jimmy Dewar. Oh damn, the last one's Scottish. Tearful semi-final exit. Italy Engineering pedigree: Running water, a warm bed and something to drive your car on come tomorrow morning. It's hard not to be impressed by the aqueducts, central heating systems and roads that are just some of Italy's or more specifically Rome's gifts to the world. And don't get me started on Ferrari and Lamborghini. EC verdict: The Azzurri are on a course that's as direct as one of their Roman roads for the quarter-finals. GROUP E Switzerland Engineering pedigree: The computer mouse was created by Swiss inventor René Sommer, who had presumably had his muesli – also invented by the Swiss – that morning. EC verdict: The nation that gave us the ingenious Swiss army knife is versatile enough to get out of this group. First round knockout stages. France Engineering pedigree: Gustave Eiffel takes all the plaudits as France's most famous engineer with his iconic Eiffel tower. As it happens, Gustave was in good company with French engineers behind the internal combustion engine, bicycle and hot air balloon. EC verdict: Les bleus is the colour with France heading for the quarter finals. Honduras Engineering pedigree: This central American republic exports coffee, sugar cane and tropical fruit. The clothing industry has also boomed in Honduras and employs over 130,000 people. However, engineering and manufacturing fuelled growth has a long way to go with 60% of Hondurans living in poverty according to the UN. EC verdict: Might want to keep some sugar cane back to sweeten the disappointment of a group stage exit. Ecuador Engineering pedigree: The Ecuadorian built NEE-01 Pegaso satellite was launched in 2013. The satellite takes pictures and provides video clips in its role as an educational aid for aspiring student engineers in Ecuador. EC verdict: The satellite will be beaming back images of a group stage exit. GROUP F Argentina Engineering pedigree: Argentine, Domingo Liotta created the first total artificial heart (TAH). Liotta's TAH kept a patient alive in 1969 while they awaited a donor heart for transplantation. EC verdict: They may still be searching for the engineering equivalent of Lionel Messi, but the Argentinians have enough to get out of the group. First round knockout stages. Bosnia Engineering pedigree: IrfanView – the image viewer for Microsoft Windows invented in 1996 that allows you to convert image files and play video/audio files was created and named after Bosnian Irfan Skiljan. EC verdict: Group stage exit Iran Engineering pedigree: Iranian inventor Ali Razeqi claims to have created a time machine the size of a laptop. That's bad news for the EC editorial department as Razeqi's time machine will expose just how woefully inaccurate this guide turns out to be. EC verdict: Iran's university population has soared from 100,000 to several million in 20 or so years and 70% of its scientists and engineers are women. Razeqi has put his time machine to good use. First round knockout stage exit. Nigeria Engineering pedigree: Jessica Matthews – remember the name. The 25 year-old Nigerian-born mechanical and electrical engineer is the founder of SOCCKET ball, a device which will stop the onset of twilight halting those late night kickabouts across the world. SOCCKET ball doubles up as a light and can generate three hours of illumination using the kinetic energy from a 30 minute kick about. EC verdict: Plenty of future engineering promise, but a group stage exit is likely this time around. GROUP G Germany Engineering pedigree: Germany's manufacturing sector contributes twice as much GDP to the national coffers as their UK and US cousins. Germany has a strong commitment to developing homegrown young engineers and a raft of SME companies leading export growth. Yep, in pretty much every measure of engineering success the Germans have their towels down first. EC verdict: Deutschland über alles, overall winners. Portugal Engineering pedigree: A proud sea-faring nation, Portuguese engineering heritage is steeped in maritime inventions like the galleon and carrack sailing ships. More recent contributions include the Via Verde, an automatic toll system for cars. EC verdict: Not enough to get past the Germans, Ghanaians or Americans in a tough group. Ghana Engineering pedigree: A hidden gem, and we're not talking about the local diamond mines. Ghana has a sparkling manufacturing base with a thriving automotive and electronics sector. Tablets, smartphones and the Mahindra e2o – the urban electric car – are all made in Ghana. EC verdict: A surprise package and had they not been in a group of death with the Germans and Americans, the black cats would be going through. As it is, Ghana are going home for an early bath. USA Engineering pedigree: The home of mass production and the first nation to put a man on the moon, the US is an undoubted engineering superpower. But the global financial crisis and the rise of China and other low-cost Asian manufacturing rivals has threatened to pull the giant crashing down to Earth. In the 1950s US firms made 95% of cars brought, now foreign makers sell the majority of cars. Homegrown General Motors declared bankruptcy in 2009 with car manufacturing cities like Detroit suffering the economic hangover. EC verdict: The American dream will be rudely awoken with a quarter final exit. GROUP H Belgium Engineering pedigree: Add a host of crucial drug treatments to Tintin, Hercule Poirot and chocolates on the list of Belgian inventions. The home of European parliament is also the hub of some impressive pharmaceutical breakthroughs with the discovery of pain-killing drugs like Sufentanil and fungal treatment, Micanazole. EC verdict: Blistering barnacles, the Belgians have not made it out of the group. Algeria Engineering pedigree: Petroleum is big business in Algeria with gas and oil accounting for 95% of exports. National oil company, Sonatrach, is the largest firm in Africa. EC verdict: No amount of oil and gas can stop the Algerian's world cup bid going up in smoke. Group exit. South Korea Engineering pedigree: A quick glance at the medal table at WorldSkills Leipzig shows why South Korea are the rising power of global engineering. Gold medals in the Manufacturing Team Challenge, CNC Milling and Welding events encapsulate the Asian nation's love affair with making things. South Korean students are four times more likely to take a Masters in engineering than their US and helping transform a rural economy to a hub for hi-tech through the growth of companies like Samsung and Kia. EC verdict: Spirited semi final exit. South Korea have got Soul after all. Russia Engineering pedigree: Mother Russia has a Jekyll and Hyde reputation for its engineering. The pioneers of space exploration and the first nation to put a man in space are the very same people who gave us the Lada Riva. Recent government efforts have focused on encouraging engineering innovation in IT, energy and pharmaceuticals. EC verdict: Don't bet against the second Russian engineering revolution, quarter at best finals. So there you have it, England make it all the way to the Semi-Finals in our engineering World Cup. Japan and South Korea fly the flag for Asia in the final four, but of course it's the Germans who have their towels down first on the Copacabana to win the grand prize . But did you have a different winner? If so we want to hear your engineering world champion and why you think they're worthy winners. Email us your predictions to mgosney@findlay.co.uk