The 2014 World Cup in Brazil is still a year away, but it's not too soon to start playing some matches in the stadiums built for the event. It could be the best tournament ever, depending on how many people travel for the games.
According to Yahoo Sports, the first matches were played on Sunday in the Arena Castelao, which was the first World Cup stadium to be completed in Brazil for the tournament. There was double header at the stadium as Fortaleza and Sport drew 0-0 before Bahia beat Ceara 1-0 with a goal from former Brazil and Manchester United midfielder Kleberson.
"I was told about the strength of football here in the north-east region of Brazil, but one has to feel it to fully understand. I cannot wait to be back in less than five months for the FIFA Confederations Cup," said Jerome Valcke, FIFA Secretary General, to FIFA.com. "It is good for the first time not to talk about the construction works, but to actually see a football match at a stadium that will host the FIFA Confederations Cup and the FIFA World Cup. We are happy to see that the stadium is ready for everyone to use.
The stadium was opened by President Dilma Rousseff last month and was filled with cheering fans for the first time on Sunday. The ceremony that preceded the matches included Ronaldo, Brazil's sports Minister Aldo Rebelo, FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke and Jose Maria Marin, president of the Brazilian Football Confederation.
Many people in Brazil were still reeling from the fire at a night club in the city of Santa Maria that killed over 200 people. According to the report, Sunday's matches in the Gaucho championship in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul were canceled, while state's top clubs Internacional and Gremio posted messages on their websites declaring three days of mourning and put their flags at half mast in their stadiums.
In those matches, Brazilian champions Fluminense drew 1-1 with Botafogo, as winger Wellington Nem put the club ahead before central defender Bolivar added the tie goal for the opposition.
"Botafogo hit back after the interval when former Dutch international Clarence Seedorf, who came on as a substitute, crossed for central defender Bolivar to head the equalizer. Brazil ace Neymar saved Santos from defeat with a last minute penalty, his fourth goal in three matches, for a 1-1 draw with Bragantino in the Paulista (Sao Paulo) championship."
The World Cup is being held in Brazil for the first time since the 1950 FIFA World Cup, which was won by Uruguay over Brazil. It is also the first World Cup to be held in South American since the 1978 FIFA World Cup in Argentina and it is first time two consecutive World Cups are staged outside Europe.
There are a number of host cities for the tournament, including Brasília, Cuiabá, Manaus, Fortaleza, Natal, Salvador, Curitiba, Porto Alegre, Belo Horizonte, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. All the regions of the country will be involved in the tournament and there are a number of new structures and stadiums in place for the event. There will also be improvements on public transportation, hotels and airports.
The 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup will be the first part of the event to be held in Brazil and serves as a prelude to the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Brazil is the defending champions of the tournament and it is set to start on June 15.