FC Bayern Munich in international football competitions nation's Raja Casablanca (who had unexpectedly eliminated the South American champions Atlético Mineiro) in the final to be crowned world champions for a third time. As in the European Cup and the Intercontinental Cup, they were the first German club to lift the World Club Cup. Bayern retained both the Bundesliga and the German Cup in 2014 in dominant fashion, but lost their grip on the Champions League after a heavy defeat to Real Madrid, who again went on to win it (exactly as had transpired in 2002). That summer, Germany won the 2014 FIFA World Cup: serving Bayern players
Central Germany (cultural area) Central Germany (cultural area) Central Germany () is an economic and cultural region in Germany. Its exact borders depend on context, but it is often defined as being a region within the federal states of Saxony, Thuringia and Saxony-Anhalt, or a smaller part of this region, such as the metropolitan area of Leipzig and Halle plus the surrounding counties. The name dates from the German Empire, when the region was approximately in the centre of the country. Since the German Empire's eastern territories became part of Poland (and Russia in the aftermath of World War II), "Central Germany" has been