From an original list of 17 candidates, the 12 final host cities were announced on Sunday in a press conference following the second day of the Ex-Co meeting in the Caribbean. "The interest in Brazil was huge, and it was a very difficult decision to choose just 12 venues from the initial list of 17," said FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter. "We want to make this World Cup a sporting success and this is the most important thing."
The 2014 global showpiece will be the first time the FIFA World Cup finals have returned to the land of the fabled jogo bonito since 1950, when Uruguay edged the hosts to their second world title.
"There are no winning and losing cities here in Brazil. We are all taking part in the World Cup here in Brazil and we can all be proud," added CBF (Brazilian FA) president Ricardo Terra Teixeira. "For the 12 privileged cities chosen, it's the beginning of the work. They have a huge responsibility"
The venues
* Belo Horizonte
* Brasilia
* Cuiaba
* Curitiba
* Fortaleza
* Manaus
* Natal
* Porto Alegre
* Recife
* Rio De Janeiro
* Salvador
* Sao Paulo
