The England fan's guide to Brazil 2014

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Video report by ITV News Brazil Correspondent Nick Ravenscroft

Football fans hoping to head to Brazil for next summer's World Cup should expect unforgettable atmospheres but also heavily inflated prices and long-distance travel.

A room in an Australian backpackers hostel in Ipanema, southern Rio de Janeiro, will be bumped up from the usual £70 per night to around £450 per night during the tournament.

Where are the games?

On top of the cost of accommodation is the price of crossing this vast country.

If England are drawn in Group A, fixtures will be played in Sao Paulo, Manaus and Recife.

The 1673-mile trip from Sao Paulo to Manaus (further London to Moscow) would involve two days on a bus and four days on a boat, according to one operator.

Flights for the same itinerary could cost £750 for the group stage and £450 for the knockout stage, a travel agent said, warning those prices are rising quickly.

The distance from Sao Paulo to Manaus is greater than London to Moscow. Credit: ITV News

Likely to be drawn from the second pot of seeds, England's group matches would be played in:

Group A: Sao Paulo, Manaus, Recife

Group B: Salvador, Porto Alegre, Sao Paulo

Group C: Belo Horizonte, Natal, Fortaleza

Group D: Fortaleza, Recife, Belo Horizonte

Group E: Brasilia, Curitiba, Rio de Janeiro

Group F: Rio de Janeiro, Cuiaba, Salvador

Group G: Salvador, Manaus, Brasilia

Group H: Belo Horizonte, Porto Alegre, Curitiba

Fans will learn their travel destinations when the groups are drawn on December 6th.

England took on Brazil at the Maracana Stadium in Rio in June. Credit: Owen Humphreys/PA

When are the matches?

  • Group stages: 12th June - 26th June 2014

  • Second round: 28th June -1st July

  • Quarter-finals: 4th - 5th July

  • Semi-finals: 8th - 9th July

  • Final: 13th July

Match tickets

FIFA's first round of ticket applications closed on Thursday 10th October 2013. Football's governing body said it had received over 6 million requests, including 96,780 from England.

Members of the official England supporters club may still be able to buy tickets through their organisation but fans without an affiliation and who have yet to enter the ballot will have to rely on other means to get match tickets.

Brazil correspondent Nick Ravenscroft promises Brazil will not disappoint as a destination. Credit: ITV News

Flights to Brazil

Flights to Rio from London during the tournament are currently selling at between £500-£700 each way while the Skyscanner comparison site showed return journeys all priced at over £1,000.

England and Brazil fans together before their Maracana friendly in June. Credit: Owen Humphreys/PA

England fan Jonathan Greig, who hasn't missed a match since the Japan/Korea World Cup in 2002, said he won't be going to Brazil because travel costs make the trip too expensive.

"I just can't afford it this time," he explained. "There's no trains between the host cities so you'd have to fly between every game. You'd be looking at at least £5,000 to do the whole thing."

Dawn at Copacabana Beach in Rio. Credit: DPA/Luis Cleber

Brazil facts

  • UK passport holders do not need a visa to enter Brazil

  • Language is Portugese

  • Currency: 1 Brazilian Real = £0.28

  • Brasilia is 4 hours behind London, Manaus is 5 hours behind

Bathers enjoying the heat on Copacabana Beach in Rio. Credit: Luis Cleber/DPA