Now that the World Cup 2014 draw is over, managers and organizers will now be looking at two crucial variables that could make or un-make the fortunes of participating teams- temperatures and travel times in Brazil.
SI.com reports that the host country has the fifth-largest land mass in the world, even exceeding that of Western Europe. The most anticipated sporting event in 2014 will take place in 12 cities, from Porto Alegre in the south to sunny Fortaleza in the northeast region to Manaus right in the heart of the Amazon. The vast expanse of Brazil also means a lot of traveling for the teams, with the longest trips taking more than three hours.
Germany coach Joachim Low had called the warm temperature in the cities it will be playing- Salvador, Fortaleza and Recife- as 'worrying.' After all, the temperature ranges from 79 to 84 degrees in the three cities. Germany is with the United States, Portugal and Ghana in Group D, and all teams will be doing the longest trips.
For instance, the US will face Ghana in Natal on June 16 then travel 1,720 miles to face Portugal. Four days later, they will have to travel another 1,762 miles to face the Germans in Recife. There's a possibility that the US will travel by as much as 8,842 miles during the games.
Switzerland coach Omar Hitzfield, while indicating that his team would prefer to play in a cooler climate, is optimistic about his team's chances. "We must not dwell on it," he said. "We must use the time before the tournament to prepare and adapt to the conditions we are going to face."
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