Teams and fans face long trips in Brazil

Brazil’s 2014 World Cup will see potential travel trauma for fans – and the latest kick-off times ever for a finals tournament with matches starting as late as 10pm, or 2am in Britain.

Fifa has performed a U-turn on promises to cluster teams in sectors to minimise travel distances. Instead, teams will play each group match in a different city – some up to 2,000 miles apart.

The group stages will see matches kicking off at four different times – 1pm, 4pm, 7pm and 10pm, with the British summer time equivalent being four hours later. The knockout stages will be more suited to European prime time, with the latest kick-off being 5pm in Brazil, or 9pm in the UK. The final in Rio de Janeiro’s Maracana Stadium will take place at 4pm – 8pm BST.

The distances that fans may have to travel could be a major concern. For example, one team in Group A will have to play the opening match of the tournament in Sao Paulo, their second match 2,000 miles away in Manaus, and the third in Recife – another three-and-a-half-hour flight away, or a 5,700-kilometres road trip through the Amazon jungle.

Fifa secretary general Jerome Valcke said: “The teams will travel around so the host cities will have all the teams.”