Rangeland in regions too dry to support a forest, but not dry enough to be a desert. Pampas are the fertile South American lowlands that include the Argentine provinces of Buenos Aires, La Pampa, Santa Fe, Entre Ríos and Córdoba, most of Uruguay, and the State of Rio Grande do Sul, in the southernmost end of Brazil covering more than . These vast plains are only interrupted by the low Ventana and Tandil hills near Bahía Blanca and Tandil (Argentina), with a height of and respectively. The climate is mild, with precipitation of to , more or less evenly distributed through
South American nations at the FIFA World Cup were at the Finals tournament for the first time since the 1998 competition. The South American teams performed strongly, with all five advancing to the knockout stages (four as group winners). In group A despite a red card being given to Uruguay substitute Nicolas Lodeiro in the second half, Uruguay were able to hold a "lacklustre" France to a 0–0 draw. Won 3-0 against South Africa and 1-0 against Mexico. The group winners, Uruguay, advanced to face the runners-up from Group B, Korea Republic. In group B Argentina won all the matches. As group winners, Argentina advanced to face Mexico