Brazil gearing up for the draw

Rio de Janeiro and Brazil are gearing up to present themselves to the world on the occasion of the Preliminary Draw for the 2014 FIFA World Cup™ on 30 July 2011. The Preliminary Draw will be the first FIFA World Cup event of global magnitude on Brazilian soil related to the 2014 edition.

 

The Marina da Glória in Rio de Janeiro will provide the perfect setting for a show that will attract millions of viewers from all across the globe. A record audience is expected for this important milestone event marking the start of the trip to Brazil for the remaining 175 of the 203 teams participating in the qualifiers. 

 

The draw will be a celebration of the World Cup returning to Brazil after 64 years. The 95-minute live TV broadcast (15.00 local time/20.00 CET) will be a curtain-raiser for what fans may expect in 2014 with Brazilian beats and flavours to whet the appetite. The show will be directed by Brazilian director Aloysio Legey (GEO), while the programme broadcast will be directed by Luiz Gleiser (TV Globo). A selection of famous Brazilian artists to entertain the audience will be announced by the producers shortly.

 

The Preliminary Draw illustrates perfectly how a FIFA World Cup can bring the world together like no other event. Delegates from approximately 100 FIFA member associations, almost 800 media representatives from all over the world, and an audience of some 2,000 people, including celebrities from the world of politics, sport and show business, are expected to attend the ceremony.

 

FIFA Secretary General Jérôme Valcke will conduct the draws for all qualification zones other than South America, which will play its qualifiers in a league format. The draws will include guest appearances by some of the biggest names in Brazilian football – past, present and future – to be announced in due course.

 

In total, 166 participating member associations from five qualification zones –  Africa, Asia, Europe, North, Central America and the Caribbean, and Oceania – will find out who will face whom in the bid for one of the 31 available slots at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil in June and July 2014.