Brazil 2014 build-up to gather pace in 2011

The year 2011 is already looking pivotal in the build-up to the FIFA World Cup Brazil™, with fans and observers to start seeing the first tangible signs of the festival of football scheduled for 2014.

Penned in for the end of July will be the Preliminary Draw in Rio de Janeiro, which will define the groups for the qualifying phase of the competition. And in the days prior to the event, at which Brazil intends to begin showing the world what it can expect over the coming three years, there will be a number of workshops and seminars taking place in the same venue as the Preliminary Draw itself.

Another significant landmark due to take place over the course of 2011 will be the unveiling of the official slogan for Brazil 2014, while in addition work on three of the 12 stadiums which will host matches at the showpiece competition should have begun by the end of June. What is more, the decision on which venues will welcome games at the FIFA Confederations Cup 2013 will be made this year, as will the match calendar for the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the launch of its volunteer programme.

As far as security matters are concerned, the proposed course of action for the competition will continue to grow and evolve. This will occur via meetings with the country’s various public security forces (municipal guards, military police, civil police and traffic officers), a process that has already been carried out with Brazil’s fire department.

Come the end of January this year, management at the National Team Training Centres (CTSs) will finalise the list of candidates set to provide said centres at Brazil 2014. These candidate venues will then undergo inspection, with 80 to 90 CTSs subsequently placed on a further shortlist. The candidates vying to be one of the Official Training Pitches (COTs) and official hotels will also be subject to the same selection process.

Finally, the city that will host the International Broadcast Centre (IBC) will also be decided in 2011 with three contenders – Brasilia, Rio and Sao Paulo – currently in the running. The decision will be made on technical grounds and will follow the criteria laid down by events broadcasting company Host Broadcast Services (HBS) and FIFA TV.