Brazil to host 2014 World Cup

The South American country was the only one bidding to host the tournament, which was due to be staged on the continent under FIFA's rotation system.

Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said: "Soccer is more than a sport for us, it's a national passion."

Brazil have won the tournament a record five times and hosted the World Cup once before, in 1950, when they lost 2-1 in the final to Uruguay.

It is the first time the World Cup is being held in South America since Argentina hosted, and won, the 1978 tournament.

Brazil is setting aside around £550m to update its stadiums, including the Maracanã in Rio de Janeiro which hosted the 1950 World Cup final.

And that money will need to be spent wisely as FIFA's inspection report has identified 18 grounds with more than 40,000 capacity that could host games. These will be whittled down to nine or 10.

However, of the 18, four would have to be re-built from scratch and all of the others need to undergo substantial renovation.

So basic are the facilities at the moment that most of the stadiums are not even equipped for television commentary.

FIFA president Blatter said, however, that he had been impressed by Brazil's plans for 2014 despite the fact they were the only bidders.

"The task was not easy - for us it was a real big challenge to have the same list of requirements and the same conditions for only one candidate," he said.

"There was an extraordinary presentation by the delegation and we witnessed that this World Cup will have such a big social and cultural impact in Brazil.

"This is the country that has given to the world the best football and the best footballers, and they are five times world champions." FIFA's inspection report added: "Brazil has a rich history of hosting sporting and other international events.

"But the standards and demands of the World Cup will far surpass those of any other event staged in the history of Brazil in terms of magnitude and complexity.

"The inspection team wants FIFA experts to review the process and progress of host city selection to ensure that adequate financing is committed and secured."

As news filtered through, celebrations broke out in various towns around the country with fireworks and festivities set to continue into the night.

Around 100 people unfurled a green and yellow banner, emblazoned with the words 'The 2014 World Cup is ours', at the foot of the famous Christ the Redeemer statue which overlooks Rio.

Meanwhile, women's world champions Germany will host the 2011 Women's World Cup after beating off competition from Canada.

FIFA Happy with 2010 Progress

CAPE TOWN, South Africa - FIFA ended its three-day inspection tour of South Africa on Wednesday praising the progress made in building the stadiums that will be used for the 2010 World Cup.

The governing body of world soccer, joined by South African organizers, visited four of the nine host cities to assess the stadiums in Johannesburg, the site of the opening and final match, Cape Town, Durban and Port Elizabeth.

The delegation also received progress reports on accommodation, finance and transport.

"We were able to see signs of huge transformation in the host cities. The task ahead is a big one and we admire the ambition and efforts in the host cities to make 2010 a successful event," said Alain Leiblang, FIFA's head of media operation for the 2010 World Cup.

There have been concerns about the country's high crime rate and poor transport system, as well as the pace of stadium construction.

"We are quite happy that the program is on track. What we set out to do with this inspection tour, we achieved," local organizing committee representative Dennis Mumble said in a statement. "There are challenges and adjustments that need to be made, but that's the reason for tours such as this, to address those."

The full evaluation report will be presented at a meeting on Tuesday.

Welcome to the Beautiful Game...

FIFA's World Cup, sometimes called the Football World Cup or the Soccer World Cup, but usually referred to simply as the World Cup. Since 1930 (except in 1942 and 1946, due to World War II) every four years the world gathers to watch an international football competition contested by the men's national football teams of the member nations of Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the sport's global governing body.

The tournament's final phase, often called the World Cup Finals, is the most widely-viewed sporting event in the world, with an estimated 715.1 million people watching the 2006 tournament final. The current format of the Finals involves thirty-two national teams competing at venues within the host nation (or nations) over a period of about a month. To determine the participating teams, qualifying rounds take place over the three years preceding the Finals.

In the eighteen tournaments held, only seven nations have won the title. Brazil is the most successful World Cup team, having won the tournament five times. The current Cup holder, Italy, follows with four titles, while Germany holds three. The other former champions are Uruguay (who won the inaugural tournament) and Argentina with two titles each, and England and France with one title each.

The most recent World Cup Finals were held between June 9 and July 9, 2006 in Germany, where Italy was crowned champion after beating France in the final, winning the penalty shootout 5-3 after the match finished 1-1 after extra time. Germany placed third after beating Portugal 3-1. The next World Cup Finals will be held in 2010 in South Africa.