Every World Cup leaves a legacy and a set of lessons to be learned for upcoming venues and tournaments. Here are the major lessons learned from Brazil 2014

1. Teams Win Tournaments, Not Individual Performances

It seems obvious enough, but this was a constant theme throughout the World Cup. The final pitted the best player in the world against the best team in the world. Guess which one came out on top? Brazil depended so heavily on Neymar that, when his vertebra was fractured, the team's entire spine went with him as well.

In contrast, the loss of Radamel Falcao did not do as much damage for Colombia as many expected. The rest of the team rallied around James Rodriguez and conquered the tournament and watchers' hearts. They did not make it all the way, but they certainly left their mark.

The same went for the Dutch and their manager Louis Van Gaal, who figured out ways to make up for his team's shortcomings by having all the players buy into a team-first mentality.

2. Europe Has Established the New Order

There have been three straight European champions for the first time ever.

Spain and Germany became the first European nations to win the World Cup outside their continent, and they did it in successive tournaments, playing a very similar style. South America, the other soccer super power, could still produce a champion in four years time, but the continent has struggled in Europe in the past. Only Brazil, back in 1958, has conquered the small continent. Will history be made for the third straight tournament?

The other major takeaway here is that the European sides have learned how to build a winning team, while South America has emphasized the superstar first. Of course, Colombia and Chile have established a model for making the former approach work as well, but it will be interesting to see if any of the major South American sides (such as Brazil or Argentina) are able to build rock-solid teams for the tournament in four years.

3. Brazil is No Longer a Major Super Power

Brazil is arguably the poster country for the sport of soccer. The idea of the beautiful game is embodied in the team's past performances. But in this World Cup, the hosts never looked beautiful playing with the ball, and their mediocrity was exposed in two shameful losses against Germany and Holland.

Brazil will rely on Neymar moving forward, but there is a concern about the rest of the team's depth. With Neymar, this was a mediocre side that could be elevated by the work of a superstar. Without him, it was a woeful side that lacked a leader.

4. Goal Line Technology Works

It was only utilized a few times, but it worked splendidly during each occasion. The big moment obviously came in the Costa Rica versus Italy match, in which Bryan Ruiz's header crossed the goal line quickly before coming out. Without the technology, the CONCACAF nation might have been robbed of a goal. Speaking of which...

5. FIFA Needs to Do Something About the Referees

Yes, they are human, and they are subject to making mistakes. But the displays of some referees were pitiful, to say the least.

The fact that Fred was given a penalty on a dive at one end, while Croatia lost a sure goal at the other end is lamentable. The same goes for the supposed offside goal that Colombia should have been allowed to keep. Had they not lost that tally, the game with Brazil would have been level at 1-1, and the outcome would have hung in the balance.

Things got better in the final four games of the tournament, but even then, there was a potential red card against Germany that was never given. If it had been assigned, then the world would never have seen Lionel Messi's scowl as he went up to collect the Golden Ball award.

FIFA needs to find a means of preparing referees better for the upcoming tournament, or they will threaten to damage major moments in the big tournament.