With only 76 days left until the World Cup 2014 in Brazil, The South American country is counting down to hosting the most exciting event for soccer fans all over the world.
After winning the bid in 2007, Brazil had nearly seven years to prepare for this cup. The Brazilian government is now ensuring that the stadiums and infrastructure will be ready by April 15, the deadline established by the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), the World Cup’s organizers.
Only six of the 12 stadiums were completed by last year’s deadline. Two may be ready less than a month before the World Cup begins, including the Itaquerao Stadium in Sao Paulo, which will be hosting the opening game on June 12. Other cities scheduled to host games are Fortaleza, Porto Alegre, Curitiba, Salvador, Natal, Belo Horizonte, Manaus, Cuiaba, Brasilia and Recife.
The opening match will host Brazil vs. Croatia at noon, pacific standard time (PST) playing for group A. Group A also has Mexico and Cameroon. Mexico’s fans all over California will be able to watch Mexico debut on Friday, June 13 at 9 a.m. PST, against Cameroon.
There are a few tickets available for the cup and the last phase will be ready for sale to the public on April 15, but in a limited quantity. The system will work on a first-come, first-served basis.
The matches with the highest demand for tickets have been the opener between Brazil and Croatia, as well as the final at the Maracana Stadium on July 13 in Rio de Janeiro. The semi-finals will be held in Sao Paulo and in Belo Horizonte—tickets to these games are sold out.
According to FIFA’s website, fans from 212 countries and territories have already secured tickets. Brazilians purchased 57 percent of them, totaling 906,433. Americans took 125,465, followed by Colombians (60,231) and Germans (55,666).
For many Brazilians, the excitement about hosting the World Cup has faded. Polls show that around 65 percent of the population are against the games, suggesting that the money spent should have been invested in a better health system, education and security.
Last June, during the Confederations Cup, people hit the streets and broke out in protests—initially in rejection of the increasing bus fares in Sao Paulo. This created a domino effect which led people across the country to protest bigger social issues plaguing the country such as the lack of a quality health care system and access to education.
Protesters repudiated the FIFA Standard, which requires high quality event and stadium production.
“We want our hospitals like the FIFA’s stadiums, we want our colleges to meet the standard—why can they build a very nice stadium costing billions and not invest the same in our necessities?” said a Brazilian protester.
Protests are scheduled to happen during the games—especially in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.
Using the tagline “Nao havera Copa,” which means “World Cup won’t happen,” thousands of people are using social media to organize. They plan to go out on the streets and block the traffic, stopping people from proceeding to the arenas a few hours before the game.
According to the Brazilian president Dilma Roussef, all the money spent to build the stadiums will be paid back.
“All tourists that want to come to watch the games shall not be worried about anything”, said Roussef, inviting people to come to Brazil. “We will ensure that the appropriate measures be taken in order to keep everyone who comes to our country safe.”