World Cup 2014 guide: All you need to know to follow England in Brazil next summer.

So, England made the grade and qualified for the World Cup next summer. But what should you expect if you want to follow Roy Hodgson’s side to Brazil?

Here, we give you the rundown of how safe it will be in South America, which teams England could face and – perhaps most importantly – how much it will all cost.

 

Who will England play, and when will they know?

England could be cast into a ‘Group of Death’ again. The seedings will be decided based on FIFA world rankings, to be announced tomorrow.

England are currently ranked 17th and even if they do move up, they could find themselves in a group with hosts Brazil, Germany, Argentina, Spain or Italy.

The draw for the groups will take place on December 6.

Although the qualifying games have finished, there are teams whose place hasn’t yet been confirmed. Portugal, France, Sweden and Croatia are among a star-studded line-up in the play-offs this time around. The draw for who will face who in the play-off stage will take place on Monday at 5pm.

 

In 2010, Fabio Capello’s England side were handed a favourable group that comprised of the United States, Algeria and Slovenia.

Although England made heavy weather of that group, finishing second to America, this time Roy Hodgson’s men will not be seeded.

When the draw takes place, there will be four pots of eight countries.

Pot one will be made up by Brazil and the top seven qualifiers from the world rankings.

Geography also plays a part in the draw, as pots two, three and four will be divided by regions, meaning teams from the same qualifying areas will be kept apart in the group stages.

 

How much will it cost and how can I get there?

Put lightly, it isn’t going to be cheap. British Airways and Brazilian airline TAM are the only two airlines who offer direct flights to Rio de Janeiro from Heathrow, with BA’s daily flight from London costing £1,600.

Estimates of how much it will cost fans – if travelling from England – range from £7,000 to £10,000 including flights, tickets and accommodation – and that’s just for England’s three group games.

BA haven’t announced their World Cup flight packages yet, but TAM are offering group deals for a minimum of 10 people that will include three internal flights.

 

 

This may be a better option than simply settling for the one flight to Brazil. Although we don’t yet know where England will be playing, it’s a slog to get from one of the 12 cities to another.

It’s 985 miles between Rio and Porto Alegre, 276 miles from Rio to Sao Paulo and a whopping 1,627 miles to get from Rio to Fortaleza.

It’s believed that a three-star hotel will cost fans around £350 a night and, with the group stages lasting 12 days, fans will be looking at more than £4,000 on accommodation alone.

It’s a big if, but if England play some of their group games on the north-east coast and reach the final on July 13 at Rio’s Maracana, fans who plan to stay the course will have thousands of miles to travel – and they’ll need thousands of pounds to spend too.

Thomson Sport are also offering travel packages to England fans. Prices start from £6,995-per-person but include accommodation across all three of the Three Lions’ match host cities and transfers… but it doesn’t include match tickets.

 

 

How much are tickets going to cost me?

There are two main ways to get tickets for the 2014 World Cup. ‘Team specific’, where you choose just England games, or where you request a group, round of 16, quarter-, semi- or final game and get what FIFA give you.

If you’re a die-hard England fan and want to go down the team-specific route and watch their three group games, you’ll have to pay £186 (category three), £278 (category two) or £362 (category one). This probably offers the best value for fans.

You can also take a punt and pay £867 for all seven games England could potentially play, and if they are knocked out – which, let’s be honest, is a possibility – you’ll spend the rest of your time in Brazil following their conquerors.

If you aren’t fussed about seeing England and simply fancy popping along to a World Cup game, the prices are as follows.

The prices come under three categories. category 1 being the priciest at each game, with category 3 being the cheapest. For the opening game of the tournament, which will feature hosts Brazil against as yet undecided opposition, prices range from $220 (£137.50) to $495 (£309).

Group games drop in price, with the cheapest tickets at $90 (£56). Fans who plan to attend round of 16 games (£68 to £137), quarter-finals (£102 to £206), semi-finals (£171 to £412) or the final (£275 to £617) will have to pay much more.

To book your tickets, visit FIFA’s official website here.

How easy will tickets be to get hold of?

Cost aside, tickets for England fans should be easier to get your hands on this time around, as far fewer supporters from Europe are expected to travel to South America.

The first round of tickets sales has been and gone before the qualifying stages came to a close.

FIFA’s website will reopen for sales on a first come, first serve basis from November 5 to 28. Other sales windows open between December 8 and January 30, February 26 and April 1 and April 15 to July 13.

 

 

What will the weather be like?

Brazil is the world’s fifth largest country, with three different time zones, so the climate entirely depends on where the game is being played.

More than 3,000 miles separates Boa Vista in the north and Porto Alegre in the south. The tournament will take place in the country’s winter months, and humidity will still be a factor for teams to contend with.

It will be clammy for teams playing in the north and far more bearable in the southern areas like Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, with temperatures sticking at around 20-25C at that time of year.

Apart from Brazil and England, who else will be there?

The World Cup will be made up of hosts Brazil as well as 13 European teams, five from Africa, four from Asia, four from South America,  three from North and Central America and the Caribbean, with the final two places going to the winners of inter-continental play-offs.

 

 

 

Of the European countries, England, Spain, Russia and Bosnia-Herzegovina confirmed their places on Tuesday night, whereas Germany, Belgium, Italy, Holland, Belgium and Switzerland had booked their places by last Friday. The remaining four European spots will be decided in November’s play-offs.

From Asia, Australia, Iran, Japan and South Korea have booked their places alongside Costa Rica, United States and Honduras from North and Central America and the Caribbean.

Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Ecuador join fellow South Americans Brazil from their confederation.

 

WORLD CUP CITY GUIDE

Belo Horizonte

State: Minas Gerais

Stadium: Mineirao (cap. 65,000)

Games: Six

Climate: Tropical; average temperature in June 25C

Distinguishing features: Known as the ‘pub capital’ of Brazil, there are plenty of bars to take in the local beers and famous cuisine.

Cuiaba

State: Mato Grosso

Stadium: Arena Pantanal (cap. 44,000)

Games: Four

Climate: Hot and humid; average June temperature 30C

Distinguishing features: Home to part of the Pantanal, the country’s biggest tropical wetland, the state of Mato Grosso has some of the most varied wildlife and natural beauty.

Curitiba

State: Parana

Stadium: Arena da Baixada (cap. 41,000)

Games: Four

Climate: Subtropical; average June temperature 18C

Distinguishing features: Once a target for European colonists, there’s still a large German population in Curitiba.

 

Fortaleza

State: Ceara

Stadium: Castelao (cap. 63,903)

Games: Six

Climate: Tropical; average June temperature 30C

Distinguishing features: Being on the coast, Fortaleza has 16 miles of silver sand beaches although has to contend with high winds.

Manaus

State: Amazonas

Stadium: Arena da Amazonia (cap. 44,000)

Games: Four 

Climate: Tropical monsoon; average June temperature 31C

Distinguishing features: In the center of the Amazon rainforest; has the stunning Amazonas Opera House.

 

Porto Alegre

State: Rio Grande do Sul

Stadium: Estadio Beira-Rio (cap. 50,287)

Games: Five

Climate: Subtropical and humid; average June temperature 19C

Distinguishing features: The Gaucho region of Brazil is famous for its hospitality and for its mixture of Eurppean and indigenous influences.

 

Recife

State: Pernambuco

Stadium: Arena Pernambuco (cap. 46,000)

Games: Five

Climate: Tropical, hot and humid; average June temperature 27C

Distinguishing features: Recife is known as the ‘Venice of Brazil’ for its rivers and bridges. It is also rich in traditions and celebrations.

Rio de Janeiro

State: Rio de Janeiro

Stadium: Maracana (cap. 73,531)

Games: Seven

Climate: Tropical; average June temperature 25C

Distinguishing features: The postcard of Brazil, Rio features landmarks such as Christ the Redeemer, Sugar Loaf Mountain and Copacabana beach.

 

Salvador

State: Bahia

Stadium: Arena Fonte Nova (cap. 52,048)

Games: Six

Climate: Tropical rainforest; average June temperature 26C

Distinguishing features: The first Brazilian capital, Salvador is known for its music and its food, both heavily influenced by the slave trade from Africa.