The world’s biggest sporting event is on, the much awaited 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, will kick-off in few hours’ time. Though Bhutan has no international representation in the tournament, football fans in the Country are gripped by the fever.
To cater the needs of football fans spread across Thimphu, some restaurants and bars have arranged special screenings of the World Cup.
To celebrate the festive mood, Bhutan Football Federation is also organising a special tournament.
The city’s football fans are filled with energy and enthusiasm. Right to the idea of screening the matches, Thimphu seems ready for the World Cup.
The host nation, Brazil, will open the tournament against Croatia in the opening match. The opening match will be preceded by a ceremony in Sao Paulo that pays tribute to nature, people and football.
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The month-long tournament sees 32 nations compete for a place in the final in Rio on Sunday, July 13. Hosts Brazil start as favorites to win the World Cup for a sixth time, while holders Spain are aiming to win a fourth major tournament in a row after winning the European Championships two years ago.
The other seeded teams are Colombia, Uruguay, Switzerland, Argentina, Germany and Belgium.
A capacity 65,000 crowd is expected for the match, with their journey to the stadium eased after metro workers voted not to resume a strike over pay and the dismissal of 42 colleagues. The host city for the opening ceremony had been braced for considerable disruption after traffic chaos was caused by a five-day stoppage earlier in the week. Thousands of extra police and soldiers will be deployed to ensure the matches get under way smoothly.
Governing body FIFA said it had sold more than 2.9 million tickets, but they were still available for several matches on Wednesday, including some involving Germany, Italy and France.
