The Soccer Worldcup 2014 Held in Brazil

Why join the biggest television sports audience in the world for one championship game when you can visit 12 exotic South American cities and view an entire series of championship games in person? For the first time in over 60 years, the Soccer Worldcup championship series will be held in Brazil.

Twelve Brazilian cities across that country–Belo Horizonte, Brasília, Cuiabá, Curitiba, Fortaleza, Manaus, Natal, Porto Alegre, Recif, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, and São Paulo–are scrambling to get ready for the event. The country has budgeted around £550m to update its stadiums, including Rio de Janeiro’s Maracanã which hosted the 1950 World Cup final. (Currently, Brazil’s stadiums are so basic that they aren’t even equipped for television commentary.)

Brazil’s team has won the World Cup a record five times, and Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said: “Soccer is more than a sport for us, it’s a national passion.” The announcement naming Brazil the host country was received with excitement as celebrations broke out in various towns with fireworks and festivities into the night. Around 100 people unfurled a green and yellow banner, reading ‘The 2014 World Cup is ours’, at the foot of the famous Christ the Redeemer statue overlooking Rio.

The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) is the governing body for football or fusbol, known as soccer in some countries. The 105-year-old association, headquartered in Zurich, manages all aspects of the game, including the World Cup, the ultimate international competition. FIFA president Sapp Blatter is “impressed by Brazil’s plans for 2014.”

Here you will find the world’s most popular sport, which is also the host country’s national passion. Wouldn’t you love to be there?