spainlover

USAF Flyboy - group stage match schedules are out, not with teams, but you could still begin to plan now as you know there will be games on a given day in a given city. http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/matches/matchschedule.html
Plane tickets go on sale 330 days out, so depending on when during the World Cup you plane to go, they will be on sale within a few days to a month. I'm planning to go as well, so have been monitoring prices. As others have said, hotels will be beyond hard to come by. I have friends to stay with in a couple of cities, and one told me her landlord scheduled her lease to end just before the start of World Cup, she thinks so he can rent it that month for a huge amount.

galego

Looks like each team's games will be spread across the country, so yea flying will be essential. Not sure how far ahead domestic flights are released, but 'deals' sometimes come up 2-4 months in advance. You could sign up to the mailing list at www.melhoresdestinos.com.br but I'm not sure world cup flights will ever be cheap.

I usually search for flights on www.decolar.com , see which airline does the route 'cheapest', then book directly from that airline's site (where you then get in to the fun of trying to use a foreign credit card)

Dieuwer

FIFA: Brazil may be wrong choice for World Cup

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/fif...ist=beforebell
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/ae19f906-e...44feabdc0.html

VidaNaPraia

"FIFA President Sepp Blatter has admitted Brazil may have been the wrong choice to host the 2014 soccer World Cup, given the recent unrest in the South American nation "

But the "unrest" is because of Brazil being the venue for the World Cup. Those who are (rightly IMO) dissatisfied with the state of the country are using the fact that Brazil is in the spotlight to highlight to the world the inequities and inadequacies of the educational and health systems, and the corruption in the political system, in the hope that the government may be sufficiently embarrassed to actually do something to fix a long-broken system.

qfrodo

yes

Dieuwer

So, no World Cup no unrest?

For now, I would suggest holding off on buying airfare, making reservations for a hotel, and buying tickets to soccer games.

VidaNaPraia

What is happening, as I mentioned before, is NOT "unrest"; it is peaceful marches (with a few fringe elements that the media chooses to focus on). But yes, pretty much sparked by the media spotlight because of the games. Brazil probably hasn't seen this much "activism" since the time of the dictator when Brazilian academics and entertainment figures were deported for criticizing the government.

Since not much is really happening in Brazil to effect anything (games, tourists, or daily life), casting doubt on the practicality of making plans seems an overexaggeration.
Are you one of those who think that spreading rumors that attempt to ruin tourism (and taking money out of the pockets of those who desperately need it, while actually trying to aim for the profiteers) is going to somehow teach the Brazilian government some sort of lesson? And somehow force them reform the system?

Tickets go on sale tomorrow. A tad bit too late to change venues now. ;-0
http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/news/ne...283/index.html
http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/news/ne...523/index.html

galego

Blatter is talking trash... As long as the money keeps rolling in FIFA could hold the World Cup on the moon and be fine with it. If he said this, he's probably just trying to give another 'kick up the arse'.... or maybe this will just piss off the populace even more


Agreed with everything VidaNaPraia said. However the price system for the World Cup is released July 19th. The tickets don't start being sold til the second half of August

Gaucho100K

Agreed. FIFA is run by a bunch of old crooks that are all very questionable. Blatter is no better than the average FIFA "executive", only he hides behind his Swiss Passport and his Savile Row 2-piece outfits that make him appear somewhat more respectable than his colleagues on the FIFA Board.

In the end, Ali Baba can get his suits from Savile Row.... but he is still Ali Baba.

For the record, Julio Grondona is cut from the same cloth.... and Grondona is a huge part of the Cancer that has run Argentine Soccer into the ground....

edbyu

20 August , not 20 July for the first sale date of tickets.

jbcarioca

Well said.

VidaNaPraia

Here's an article about what's been going on in Rio--but with a surprising (for some anyway) twist:
http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/201...otesters/?_r=0

boar

You seem to be one the few people actually talking about hotels etc!

I wouldn't suggest planning any itinerary until one has secured some tickets. Let's face it the majority of fans want to watch a particular team so banking on one city at this stage doesn't suit most people.
There is still some availability for reward nights at certain ICHG hotels for the knockout phase of the tournament. Certain hotels have amazingly low, refundable rates. I remember this happening in South Africa and certain hotels cancelling legitimate reservations. I do think using São Paulo or Rio as a base makes sense and then travelling overnight for individual games.

I was in South Africa for the entire tournament and the security was excellent. I can't see any reason why there will be any problems in Brazil. The challenge will be the huge distances involved between certain cities which make it impractical to travel by bus.

YayPolarBears

Anyone have advice on flying (*A) to Rio for the WC? I'm coming from SF and right now the most affordable options are:

Taca
US Airways

I'd fly the US Airways flight w/ the 1 layover in CLT but it looks like in a few months, it'll no longer be part of *A and I guess I won't get my miles for that flight -- or is there any chance I could book now and pray they give me miles? Has this ever happened in the past? Any other options? The Taca flight strands me in El Salvador for 5+ hrs! yikes.

NPF

Your best options are Copa (through PTY) and United (through IAH or IAD). Are you looking for prices during the event or right now? Don't focus too much on prices now, as they probably will be substantially higher during the WC.