Facts
In 1950, host cities of the World Cup were concentrated in the southeast and south. In 2014, the host cities are more evenly distributed. All the host cities are capitals of their state. The selection covers all the main regions of Brazil and as a result the tournament will require significant long-distance travel for teams. Brazil is the fifth largest nation in the world by geographical size. Differing from other World Cups held in the summer period, the games will be held in the winter period in Brazil (although most venues for the tournament are situated in the tropics). The cold front comes from Antarctica causing cold weather in the south and central part of the country, and rainy weather in the north. However, the future stadiums are being prepared for these conditions. Find the best deal, compare prices, and read what other travelers have to say about hotels in Brazil
FIFA, which held its annual Congress in the Bahamas, agreed to increase the number of host cities from ten to twelve because of the size of Brazil. "In the very beginning, ten cities were going to be chosen, but thanks to the influence of (Brazilian Football Confederation president) Ricardo Teixeira and the interest of the whole country, we agreed increasing the number to twelve," said FIFA president Sepp Blatter. Teixeira briefed FIFA members about all seventeen candidate cities.
A reported US$1 billion (approx. £650 million) is to be approved for the repair, upgrading and maintenance of Brazilian stadiums. However, aiming to build "state of the art" stadiums and, therefore, increasing their chances to be part of 2014's tournament, some Brazilian states are searching for expertise abroad. Recently delegations from Recife and Porto Alegre, for example, visited the Amsterdam Arena in order to understand the formula which made that stadium highly profitable. Amsterdam Arena, the home of Ajax FC, has developed and is offering its expertise on the multi-use-purpose stadium concept and management. Amsterdam Arena has been developed to accommodate not only football matches but also concerts and events. Amsterdam Arena is currently developing two projects for Brazil: Recife/Olinda and Porto Alegre (Grêmio). Find the best deal, compare prices, and read what other travelers have to say about hotels in Brazil Read more...
