World Cup 2014 hosts Brazil will put on a spectacular show as the event comes to South America for the first time in almost 40 years, organisers and President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva insist.
Keen fan Lula had been hoping to see a sixth title achieved in South Africa this summer but a quarter-final loss to Holland put paid to that.
Now the focus switches instead to what will be the first tournament hosted by the most successful nation in the history of the competition since 1950 memories of which Brazilian fans would like to forget as that edition culminated in a shock final loss to Uruguay.
On that occasion, 200,000 people crammed into Rio s mythical Maracana stadium to watch the final.
To lose in 2010 could be understood, but to lose in 2014 would be…