However, very little has been done. None of the stadiums of the Cup is remotely near being ready. Brazil is still thinking how to build new airports, new hotels, new roads, new everything.

A report (for subscribers only) published today February 15th 2011 by Brazilian newspaper Valor Econômico, based on data provided by the Portal of Transparence (which lists all expenditures of the Federal Government), shows the situation very clearly.

The newspaper interviewed the Minister of Sports, Orlando Silva, who acknowledged that Brazil is entering a “zone of risk”; if the invesments don’t move quicker this year, the Minister foresees trouble in 2014.

The Federal Government plans to invest a total of R$ 23,571 billion for the World Cup; up until today, only 36.5% were already contracted (meaning that the other 63.5% are still awaiting planning, approval, bidding, signing); and only 0.87% were effectively carried out.

The table below shows the situation broken down by host city.

Rio de Janeiro, where the final watch will be staged, is the most advanced host city; out of a total of R$ 3.211 billion, nearly R$ 2 billion were already signed and. However, only R$ 84 million were already carried out, which translates as only 2.6% of the estimated total.

Sao Paulo, the richest State in Brazil, will have the biggest share of investments, with a bit more than R$ 5 billion; less than 0.4% were already spent. In Sao Paulo, the stadium will be a private one, hence demanding less federal funds; such is the case also in Porto Alegre and Curitiba.

It looks like the most isolated cities, Manaus and Cuiaba, antecipated the logistic problems they would face because of the longer distances, and are the ones which already signed most contracts (according to CBF reports, these two cities are the ones following more closely the planned schedules).

Recife and Brasilia signed very few contracts (the Governor of Brasilia was arrested in 2010, which added to the delays). The northeastern cities of Salvador, Fortaleza and Natal are also running against the time.

Check out more information about World Cup in Fortaleza and hotels in Fortaleza.

Fortaleza has the additional advantage of being the city nearest Europe and North America, and with a good number of direct flights. Many Europeans (particularly Portuguese, Italians and Spaniards) have a second residence in Fortaleza and neighbourhood.

In Fortaleza, matches of the Cup will take place at the stadium Castelão, which is being refurbished. This is going to be one of the biggest stadium of the Cup (about 60,000 seats), and there is a good chance that it will stage important matches of the final rounds.

With a population of over 2.5 million (metropolitan region over 3.4 million), Fortaleza is the 5th largest city in Brazil. It has an area of 313 square kilometres (121 sq mi) and one of the highest demographic densities in the country(8,001 per km²).

Beira-mar Avenue, lined with kiosks and restaurants, is a favorite amongst tourists; at the handcraft fair (the feirinha), many stands show embroidery and leather work, as well as jewelry and regional food or artisinal cachaça.

Of the urban beaches in Fortaleza, Praia do Futuro is the most frequented and is characterized by restaurants along the beach, each one with its own musical style and decoration.

Dragão do Mar Art and Culture Center holds the Cearense Culture Memorial, the Contemporary Art Museum and Rubens de Azevedo Planetarium, as well as movies and theaters. Besides this, many old warehouses were refurbished and became bars and restaurants surrounding the central area of town. There are cuisine and show options in the evening. It is most certainly one of the trendiest places to be seen.

Nightlife includes bars, nightclubs and restaurants; restaurants in Fortaleza are particularly known by comedy shows that have introduced nationally famous artists.

During the off-season carnival, Fortal, in July, hords of partiers come to Fortaleza; the city also stages music festivals in Brazil, such as Ceará Music. This yearly event includes local artists and international pop rock stars for 3 days. Around 25 thousand people enjoy the fun and several concerts, electronic music tents, and fashion shows.

The Pinto Martins International Airport connects Fortaleza with major Brazilian cities and also operates international flights. The city is home to the Federal University of Ceará.

Information in Portuguese: Ferias em Fortaleza.

Natal will be one of the smallest cities chosen by FIFA to host games of the World Cup 2014 (only Cuiabá is smaller); the city celebrated heartly the nomination, as there was a fierce dispute with other cities.

Matches in Natal will take place in a new arena. Current stadium Machadão will be put to ground, a Arena das Dunas will be built from scratch.

Natal is known as City of the Dunes. A combination of beaches, dunes, lagoons, and a still calm city have turned Natal into one of the main tourist destinations in Brazil. Tourists who want to combine a trip to the Cup with beach scenery can choose between Natal, Recife, Fortaleza and Salvador.

The implementation of the Via Costeira (Coastal Highway), 10 km (5.5 mi) long avenue along the shore and the dunes, was the true starting point for the beginning of tourist activity in the State in the 1980s. That is where the main hotels, shopping centers and restaurants of the capital city, Natal, are concentrated.

Natal has several tourist attractions and is famous for its natural beauty (such as the crystalline waters of Maracajaú and the largest cashew tree in the world), for its historical monuments and buildings (such as the Forte dos Reis Magos and the Alberto Maranhão Theater), for its beaches (such as Ponta Negra, Pipa and Genipabu) and also for its off-season carnival, the Carnatal.

It is the capital of Brazil closest to Europe and Africa, and the Augusto Severo International Airport currently connects Natal with many Brazilian cities and also operates some international flights. Until 2014, a new airport shall be ready in São Gonçalo do Amarante, metropolitan area of Natal.

Read news about the World Cup in Curitiba and check out hotel, flats and hostels in Curitiba.

In 2010 the city was awarded with the Globe Sustainable City Award;  Reader’s Digest appointed Curitiba as one of the 100 best places to live in the World and the best one in Brazil.

Curitiba was chosen by FIFA as one of host cities of the World Cup 2014. Games will take place at the stadium Arena da Baixada, which belongs to Atletico Paranaense club; this is going to be the smallest stadium of the Cup, and one of the three private stadia (the other ones will be Morumbi, in Sao Paulo, and Beira Rio, in Porto Alegre).

Curitiba  is the capital city of the Brazilian state of Paraná; the name means “Land of Pines” in indigenous language (reference to the vast forests of pinewards which existed in the region).

The city has the largest population, the largest economy in the State and also in southern Brazil. The population of Curitiba numbers approximately 1.8 million people (7th largest in Brazil) and the latest GDP figures for the city surpass US$17 billion (ranking 4th nationwide) according to IBGE.

Curitiba is an important cultural, political and economic center in the country. The city sits on a plateau at 932 metres (3,058 ft) above sea level. It is located 105 kilometres (65 mi) west of the sea port of Paranaguá and themain airport is  Afonso Pena International.

Growth of the city was based on the cattle trade, being half way between cattle breeding country to the South and markets to the North. Waves of European immigrants started arriving after 1850, mainly Germans, Italians, Japanese, Poles and Ukrainians, contributing to the economic and cultural development of the city (Japanese descendent Cassio Taniguchi is an ex-mayor).

Currently, only small numbers of foreigners migrate to Curitiba, and these are mainly immigrants from Middle Eastern and South American countries, most of which settle in Foz do Iguaçu, in the border region with Argentina and Paraguay; there is, however, a significant  inward flow of Brazilians from other States of the country, who are attracted by the higher standards of living of Curitiba (it is estimated that nowadays about half the population of Curitiba was not born in the city).

Curitiba hosts the Federal University of Paraná, one of the first universities in Brazil, established in Curitiba in 1913, which is the same year in which electric streetcars were first deployed.

Check out more information about the World Cup in Salvador and accommodation in Salvador and Bahia.

Salvador is the Brazilian city with the oldest History: it was near Salvador that Portuguese navigator Pedro Cabral discovered Brazil, and it was Salvador one of the first settlements in the country.

The Fonte Nova (New Fountain) stadium will be put to ground and rebuilt from scratch to stage the games in 2014.

Salvador da Bahia (full: São Salvador da Bahia de Todos os Santos, in English: “Holy Savior of All Saints’ Bay”) is a city on the northeast coast of Brazil and the capital of the Northeastern Brazilian state of Bahia.

Salvador is also known as Brazil’s capital of happiness due to its easygoing population and countless popular outdoor parties, including its street carnival.

Salvador is the third most populous Brazilian city, after São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, and it is the ninth most populous city in Latin America.

The city of Salvador is notable in Brazil for its cuisine, music and architecture. Over 80% of the population of metropolitan region of Salvador has Black African ancestry, the African influence in many cultural aspects of the city makes it the center of Afro-Brazilian culture. More and more foreign tourists are coming to Salvador interested in knowing the roots of Africa in the Americas.

The historical center of Salvador, frequently called the Pelourinho, is renowned for its Portuguese colonial architecture with historical monuments dating from the 17th through the 19th centuries and has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1985.

Salvador is a major export port, lying at the heart of the Recôncavo Baiano, a rich agricultural and industrial region encompassing the northern portion of coastal Bahia. The local terrain is diverse ranging from flat to rolling to hills and low mountains.

A particularly notable feature is the escarpment that divides Salvador into the Cidade Alta (“Upper Town” – rest of the city) and the Cidade Baixa (“Lower Town” – northwest region of the city), the former some 85 m (279 ft) above the latter,with the city’s cathedral and most administrative buildings standing on the higher ground. An elevator (the first installed in Brazil), known as Elevador Lacerda (photo), has connected the two sections since 1873, having since undergone several upgrades.

The Deputado Luís Eduardo Magalhães International Airport connects Salvador with Brazilian cities and also operates international flights.

With such credentials, it was no surprise that Porto Alegre was appointed as one of the host cities of the World Cup 2014. After a fierce dispute among the two clubs, FIFA decided that matches in the city will be held in International arena, the Beira-Rio, which will be refurbished for the World Cup.

It is also the capital city of the southernmost Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, and for that reason it is the capital further into the temperated zone, and presents the lowest average temperatures in Brazil. However, it must be noticed that Porto Alegre is as far to the South as, for example, Miami is to to the  North; also, the entire Europe is further to the North than Porto Alegre.

Porto Alegre is one of the most important cultural, political and economic centers of Brazil. Two Mercosul countries, Argentina and Uruguay, border Rio Grande do Sul, and several transnational companies have offices in Porto Alegre.

Porto Alegre was founded in 1742 by immigrants from the Azores, Portugal. In the late 19th century the city received many immigrants from other parts of the world, particularly Germany, Italy, and Poland. The vast majority of the population is of European descent.

The city lies on the eastern bank of the Rio Guaiba (Guaiba River), which converge along with other five rivers to form the Lagoa dos Patos (Lagoon of the Ducks), a giant freshwater lagoon navigable by even the largest of ships. This five-river junction has become an important alluvial port as well as a chief industrial and commercial center of Brazil.

Porto Alegre has a long coastline on the Guaíba Lake, and its topography is punctuated by 40 hills. In the lake, a vast body of water, a maze of islands facing the city creates an archipelago where a unique ecosystem makes possible abundant wildlife. The city area concentrates 28% of the native flora of Rio Grande do Sul, with 9,288 species. Among these, there are many trees which are the vestiges of the Atlantic Forest. Fauna are also diversified, specially in the islands and hills.

Until a few years ago, Porto Alegre hosted the World Social Forum, an initiative of several non-government organizations; after a more right-wing oriented Government was elected, the Forum moved to India.

Matches in São Paulo are planned to take place in the stadium Morumbi, a private stadium which belongs to São Paulo Futebol Clube. As there is a consensus that the final match of the World Cup should be in Maracanã, the largest stadium in Brazil, Morumbi is competing to be the stadium of the opening match (FIFA, however, declared that the stadium is not up to the required standards).

São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest and richest city in the southern hemisphere, the world’s 7th largest metropolitan area, and the most populous city proper in the Western World (estimated population of 11,037,593 resident). Brazilians often refer to the city as “Sampa.”

The city is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous Brazilian state. The name of the city honors Saint Paul. São Paulo exerts strong national and regional influence in Politics (the last two Presidents Fernando Henrique Cardoso and Lula were from São Paulo), commerce and finance as well as arts and entertainment.

Paulista Avenue is the most important financial center in the country and South America. The city is home to the São Paulo Stock Exchange, or BOVESPA, the Future Markets, and the Cereal Market Stock Exchanges.

The city has many renowned landmarks, such as the Museu Paulista do Ipiranga, the gothic Metropolitan Sé Cathedral, the São Paulo Museum of Art (MASP), the Monumento à Bandeira, the Niemeyer’s Ibirapuera complex Bienal, planetarium, and museums, as well as several other monuments.

People from the city of São Paulo are known as paulistanos, while paulistas designates anyone from the whole of São Paulo state, including the paulistanos.

São Paulo is also known for its unreliable weather, the size of its helicopter fleet, architecture, gastronomy (no other city in Brazil compares to São Paulo in quantity, variety and quality of restaurants), hotels infrastructure, and multitude of skyscrapers.

The Franco Montoro International Airport operates many domestic and international flights; this airport is situated in the city of Guarulhos, metropolitan area of São Paulo.  The airport of Congonhas is located in the central area of São Paulo, operates domestic flights only, and is the main hub in Brazil.

So, Cuiabá was chosen because the city is located right in the middle of Pantanal. Pantanal, the wetlands of Brazil, occupies much of the central part of the country, near the border with Bolívia. Pantanal is as rich a bioma as the Amazon (FIFA chose Manaus as the Amazon city in the World Cup).

Cuiabá is, among the host cities, the one with less tradition in Brazilian football: none of the teams of the city ever managed to reach the Top Division of Brazilian League; the current stadium of the city is not capable of staging a World Cup match.

To stage the matches, a new stadium will be built from scratch. The stadium will be called Verdão (The Big Green), will seat 42,500 people, and is planned to be the most environment friendly stadium in Brazil.

Cuiabá is the capital city of the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso. It is located in the exact centre of South America and is in conurbation with the neighbouring town of Várzea Grande.

The exact meaning of the name is uncertain, but it is known to be of Indian origin. A theory says that Cuiaba means “arrow-fishing” and alludes to the Bororo custom of using arrows to fish. Another version says that there was an Indian group called Ykuiapá. Others say that a Portuguese man was taking a bath in the river using a kind of plate made with half coconut (named cuia), and the stream took it, and the man said: Cuia ba (something like “the cuia is gone”).

Cuiabá is the largest pole of tourism, economy, agro industry, trade and culture of the State. The North of the State (which borders the Amazon) was widely occupied by cattle raisers and soybeans farms, which caused serious environmental damages. The Pantanal area, however, gets flooded every year, and so is unproper for plantations or intensive cattle raising; the main activity remains extensive cattle raising.

The new Marechal Rondon International Airport connects Cuiabá with many Brazilian cities (many flights stop in Brasília and Sao Paulo) and also operates some international flights.

Being an important economic, cultural and political center of Brazil, there was no doubt that Belo Horizonte would be appointed as one of the host cities of the World Cup 2014. The city had already staged matches of the World Cup 1950; it was in Belo Horizonte that England lost the Historic match against the United States team.

The stadium where that match took place no longer exists. Mineirão was built after 1950, and will be entirely overhauled to stage matches in 2014; being one of the largest stadiums in Brazil (as Belo Horizonte is seat of two major Brazilian clubs, Cruzeiro and Atletico Mineiro), chances are that important matches (such as the opening match or semifinal matches) be staged in Mineirão.

Belo Horizonte is the third-largest metropolitan area in the country (the two largest ones are Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro); the population is over 2.4 million, or almost 5.4 million in the official Metropolitan Area.

The region was first settled in the early 18th century, but the city as it is known today was planned and constructed in the 1890s, in order to replace Ouro Preto as the capital of Minas Gerais.

The city features a mixture of contemporary and classical buildings, and hosts several modern Brazilian architectural icons, most notably the Pampulha Complex. In planning the city, Aarão Reis and Francisco Bicalho sought inspiration in the urban planning of Washington D.C. The city has employed notable programs in urban revitalization and food security, for which is has been awarded international recognition .

The city is built on several hills and completely surrounded by mountains. There are several large parks in the immediate surroundings of Belo Horizonte. The “Parque das Mangabeiras”, located six kilometres south-east from the city centre in the hills of the Serra do Curral, affords a view over the city.  The “Mata do Jambeiro” nature reserve extends over 912 hectares (2,250 acres), with vegetation typical of the Atlantic forest.

Recently, the New York Times appointed the city as the Bar Capital of Brazil; Belo Horizonte gained fame across Brazil for its busy nightlife, with many bars and discoes.

However, as both cities are densely populated, and the price of real estate is very high, it was verified that the cost of desapropriation would be prohibitively high.

It was then decided that a new stadium and a surrounding sports and business complex, called Cidade da Copa (City of the Cup) would be built in the city of São Lourenço da Mata, in the metropolitan area of Recife, in a terrain which already belonged to the State of Pernambuco.

Recife is the 4th  largest Metropolitan area in Brazil with 3,768,902 inhabitants, the largest metropolitan area of the Northeast Region, and the capital of the state of Pernambuco.

Recife is located where the Beberibe River meets the Capibaribe River to flow into the Atlantic Ocean. Recife used to be a major port on the Atlantic Ocean (the city grew around the Port), but recently it has been overshadowed by the Portuary and Industrial Complex of Suape.

The name Recife means “reef” in Portuguese, in allusion to the natural coral reefs that protect all the shores of the State. The many rivers, small islands and over 50 bridges which exist in Recife (most of which built during the
Dutch occupation) make for a characteristic landscape and gives it the moniker of the “Brazilian Venice.”

The Metropolitan Region of Recife is the main industrial zone of the State of Pernambuco; most relevant products are those derived from cane (sugar and ethanol), electronics, food, and others.

Recife has a tradition of being the most important commercial center of the Northeast region of Brazil with more than 50,000 business enterprises in Recife f plus 32,500 in the Metro Area which will total more than 80,000.

In recent years, the Economy of Recife has been concentrating on services (particularly tourism, finances, commerce), while the industrial factories have been moving go Suape.

A combination of a large supply of skilled workers and massive investments turned Recife into second largest medical center in Brazil (second only to São Paulo); modern hospitals with state-of-the-art equipment receive patients from several neighboring States.

The city is also a renowned educational center, and home to the Federal University of Pernambuco, the largest university in Pernambuco. Several Brazilian historical figures, such as the poet and abolitionist Castro Alves, moved to Recife to attain their education.

Like all other cities in the Northeast, Recife is developing its travel and tourism  sector. The beach of Porto de Galinhas, 60 kilometers (37 miles) south of the city, has been nominated the most beautiful beach in Brazil for several years in a row now.  Business travel is also thriving, and the Convention Center in Olinda is one of the busiest in Brazil.

Recife is served by the Gilberto Freyre Guararapes International Airport (recently refurbished, this is one of the most modern and most beautiful airports in Brazil), which connects Recife to several Brazilian destinations as well as major international cities in Europe, the United States and South America.

Information in Portuguese: Recife.