Fans face late kick-off times in 2014 World Cup

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 Ireland.

FIFA have performed a U-turn on promises to cluster teams in sectors to minimise travel distances. Instead, it was announced last night that 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 Irish equivalent time 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 Ireland. The final in Rio de Janeiro’s Maracana Stadium will take place at 4pm — 8pm Irish time.

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, and you can have the best teams, the seeded teams in all the cities.”