Four years have passed since the last World Cup, which was hosted in South Africa. This year, Brazil has the honor of hosting the 2014 International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) World Cup.  This will be Brazil’s second time hosting the cup and their next attempt at earning a sixth title, as well as defending their title as the most successful soccer team in FIFA.

 One of the most talked about things pertaining to the World Cup is how not all of the venues have been built even though the deadline was specifically set for the end of 2013.  Those who are in charge of building the venues have announced that construction should be completed by Feb. 2014, though many are worried that Brazil will be racing against the clock to get the last three venues ready in time for the World Cup, which is on June 12.  People are apprehensive mainly because this is almost a repeat of what happened with the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.  Thankfully, South Africa was able to avoid a catastrophe and the World Cup went off without a hitch.

 Senior Tori Caldwell was among the many who were worried about the venues not being ready by the deadline, but she still remains hopeful that Brazil is determined to come through with the venues completed in time.

 “I feel like it will be ready, but the fact that they’re taking so long to finish it is a little unprofessional.  They don’t want to be like, ‘Oh this is another South Africa.’  They’re going to make it work,” said Caldwell.

 Even though Caldwell believes the venues will be completed on time, it is obvious that she is still anxious to see if Brazil will actually finish the construction in time.  At the same time, there many people who are completely confident that Brazil will have the venues ready and set up in time.  Sophomore Alex Silva is not at all worried about Brazil’s tardiness.

 “I think they’ll end up getting it ready.  It’s too big of an event for them to ignore.  It’ll be a lot of tourist revenue to get it ready in time, and I think that’s the incentive,” said Silva.

 Silva and the others who are thinking along the same lines are among the group of people who are analyzing the draws, teams, and (in some cases) other venue options.

 The draws for the World Cup were announced midday Dec. 6.  The final draw garnered much talk over one group in particular, group G – more commonly referred to as the “Group of Death.” Group G has earned its reputation because two of the top teams in the world, Germany and Portugal, have been placed in the same group as the U.S. and Ghana, neither of which have reputations for having titles in soccer. Junior Claudia Cabral does not believe the U.S. soccer team will make it past Germany or Portugal.

 “The U.S. is going to get slaughtered by Germany. They’re in a group with Germany and Portugal; they’re not going to make it,” said Cabral.

  Cabral is hopeful that she might be able to go to the World Cup to see the games.  Her parents have been considering the idea for a long time, and Cabral says there is a very good chance she will be able to go see the World Cup as she has family living in Brazil.  Cabral is looking forward to seeing how Brazil will host this year’s World Cup.

 “I think it’s good because their home team is really good, and their fans are intense,” said Cabral.

  Others, however, do not agree with Cabral, saying there are other nations who would have done a better job at being the host country.

 “I think there are better locations, like in the U.S.  I think it could spread it out throughout the nation in the major cities. We have a lot of stadiums ready already,” said Silva.

If a relocation were in order, it would make sense for the tournament to move to the U.S. as Brazil is not too far away, and the stadiums used for National Football League (NFL) football games could be used for the World Cup if the fields were switched out with grass.  If the World Cup was not in Brazil, however, tourist revenue may go down as a result.  Cabral does not think she would go to the World Cup if it was not in Brazil.

 As the waiting time for the World Cup dwindles down, it is time for people to start preparing for a month of fantastic soccer, upsets, close calls, and “dirty playing.”  People are already making predictions on which teams will make it to the semifinal and final games. Most people agree that Brazil, Germany, Portugal, and Spain will make it to the end of the tournament.  More so, the majority of people are predicting a Brazil vs. Spain final similar to the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup.  Brazil emerged from the tournament victorious, and none of the sports commentators covering the tournament wasted time informing the public that this might foreshadow the 2014 World Cup final.

 “I think Brazil will win the World Cup because they have the home field advantage,” said Silva.

 Unless Brazil misses the new deadline, they will remain the “favorite” to win this tournament.  If Brazil pulls through with the venues, this could easily be a successful and memorable World Cup.  Even though, the majority of the public is still wary of Brazil’s behavior, people like Cabral remain optimistic about Brazil as the host country.

 “Brazil is the best choice for the host country.  Their culture is centered around soccer,” said Cabral.