Brazil 2014 unveil World Cup schedule

Brazil's 2014 World Cup will see potential travel trauma for fans - and the latest kick-off times ever for a finals tournament with matches starting as late as 2200, or 0200 in Britain.

FIFA has performed a U-turn on promises to cluster teams in sectors to minimise travel distances. Instead, it was announced today that teams will play each group match in a different city - some up to 2,000 miles apart.

The group stages will see matches kicking off at four different times - 1300, 1600, 1900 and 2200, with the British summer time equivalent being four hours later.

The knockout stages will be more suited to European prime time, with the latest kick-off being 1700 in Brazil, or 2100 in the UK. The final in Rio de Janeiro's Maracana Stadium will take place at 1600 - 2000 BST.

The distances that fans may have to travel could be a major concern. For example, one team in Group A will have to play the opening match of the tournament in Sao Paulo, their second match 2,000 miles away in Manaus, and the third in Recife - another three-and-a-half-hour flight away, or a 5,700-kilometres road trip through the Amazon jungle.

FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke said: "The teams will travel around so the host cities will have all the teams, and you can have the best teams, the seeded teams in all the cities.''

Last year, Valcke said they would consider splitting Brazil into four regions, rather than having teams travel around the entire country.

He said then: "Brazil is a continent, not just a country, so we may divide it into four pieces to make sure that fans do not have to travel (fly) more than one or two hours from one stadium to the other.''

Organisers said the decision to move the teams between the different areas of the country was partly to ensure that individual sides did not benefit from playing games all in the cooler climate of the south of Brazil.

Ricardo Trade, head of operations for the 2014 World Cup, said: "The climate is so different you do not want to give an advantage to one country over another.''

Keanoo wrote:I doubt The Playmaker will be around then.

Weather130 wrote:This is just too much travel for a short amount of time. It looks like they have ruined the World Cup already even without anyone qualified. This is sad.

Danny wrote:2am kick offs? I'm up for that.

polska. wrote:

Danny wrote:2am kick offs? I'm up for that.

You'll be in University then. Have fun with that.

Keanoo wrote:

Weather130 wrote:This is just too much travel for a short amount of time. It looks like they have ruined the World Cup already even without anyone qualified. This is sad.

Brazil have qualified.

polska. wrote:I'm thinking of going to Brazil 2014

As long as Poland or Venezuela qualifies I guess..

Steadman wrote:

polska. wrote:You'll be in University then. Have fun with that.

It's in the summer Polska.

Weather130 wrote:

polska. wrote:I'm thinking of going to Brazil 2014

As long as Poland or Venezuela qualifies I guess..

Ohh it would be odd if they both manage to make it and get put in the same group that might be too much to handle.

polska. wrote:

Unless Poland actually becomes a good footballing nation and rises in the coefficiences in the EURO and WC qualification... I'd expect both nations to be drawn in the bottom pot.

SBSP wrote:Where I live, that's 9 A.M., 12 noon, 3 P.M., and 6 P.M.

SBSP wrote:Why would that freak you out?

SBSP wrote:Because I don't have a life and stay at home all day in the summer.

Weather130 wrote:This is just too much travel for a short amount of time. It looks like they have ruined the World Cup already even without anyone qualified. This is sad.

Mustangt125 wrote:So is this what he's saying:

For example, a team like England will play in one part of the country, then have their other games in other parts of the country, which could be 1+ hours in flight away? That's a horrible idea. Most, in this case English, fans cannot afford to travel back and forth across the fucking jungle.