FIFA to announce 2014 World Cup venues on March 20
The 12 Brazil venues which will host 2014 World Cup games will be announced by FIFA on March 20.
Two of them will be in the Amazon and the Pantanal, a vast tropical wetland, Sports Minister Orlando Silva said on Thursday after a meeting between FIFA president Sepp Blatter and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
“They are fundamental tourist destinations that deserve to be promoted,” Orlando Silva said.
The two bidding Amazon cities are Belem and Manaus. Cuiaba and Campo Grande are in the Pantanal region.
Sao Paulo, Belo Horizonte and Brasilia hope to host the opening game, while Rio de Janeiro was the main candidate for the final.
With 17 cities bidding to be hosts, FIFA agreed on Wednesday to increase the number of hosting cities from 10 to 12.
“This country is not a country, it’s a subcontinent,” Blatter said at the start a tour of all 17 cities. “We are going to divide the cup in 12 different cities.”
President Silva will also meet with state governors and city mayors to discuss the preparation for the cup.
