World Cup 2014: Rio de Janeiro does it the Brazilian way The sentiment was taken more seriously when, two months ago, an American student was raped on a public minibus by a Brazilian gang, allegedly "gringo-hunting" (targeting foreigners). Yet, as England fans will have experienced during last week's friendly in Rio against Brazil, this is a nation more than capable of playing the attractive, affable host. "What I constantly hear is, 'We will do it the Rio way, or we will do it the Brazilian way,' " said Martine Ainsworth Wells, a leading mega-events marketing director, who was part of a government-led delegation to three of the host cities, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Brasília. The paint will still be wet but that will be fine. Party atmosphere is there in abundance. Brazil has the opportunity to propel its reputation beyond the beach, samba and carnival. Awaiting fans is a bacchanalian festival of football on the scale of Carnival. With 12 strikingly different host cities - from the mining centre of Belo Horizonte to Manaus, deep in the Amazon - the stage is already set for a spectacular show. However, England supporters will also have noticed that there is still work to be done before the tournament opens one year from now, on June 12. The Maracanã stadium in Rio, venue for the final, was the centre of concern last week after a missing safety report led a judge to issue a suspension for Brazil's friendly against England before it was overturned by the authorities. There have been delays too in São Paulo, prompting a threat from Fifa to withdraw that city's status as a tournament host. Next week's Confederations Cup is being seen as a dress rehearsal for next year's tournament, but it will entail the use of only six of the arenas due to host the matches next year. One big challenge likely to face visitors is travel within what is the fifth-largest country in the world. Direct 11-hour return flights from London to Rio and São Paulo, costing between £500 and £1,000, are easy to come by, but domestic flights are less straightforward, with some airlines ill-equipped to take payment from non-Brazilian bank cards. Fans following teams between cities during the group stages will face flights ranging from 45 minutes to 10 hours. Various new bus and metro systems have been plagued by delays and redesigns, and Rio's bus system, though cheap, often takes slow, confusing routes. As English is scarcely spoken outside the top hotels and restaurants, non-Portuguese speakers may find it difficult to ask for directions. Mark Harris, director of Foot in Brazil, a British-run sports and security consultancy based in Rio, said: "The sheer size of Brazil offers much in terms of challenges, one of which is the distance teams, fans, media and sponsors may find themselves travelling. A flight from Porto Alegre in the very south to Manaus in the heart of the Amazon will take 10 hours, including stops or changes. But without question next year's World Cup will be one of the most colourful, joyous and fun football celebrations ever held. Packages to the 2014 World Cup that include transfers will be the easiest way to navigate Brazilian airspace and take in the farther-flung venues. Thomson Sport (0845 508 9673; thomsonsport.com) offers packages from £4,495. Fans can follow England to all three group games or choose a three-star or four-star base camp programme, which includes international return flight, airport transfers and 16 nights' accommodation (June 11 to June 29 2014). Fifa Hospitality (0870 950 2014; hospitality.fifa.com) has match hospitality packages costing from £460 to £20,000. England fans have the option of choosing one group match, all three group matches or all seven potential England games through to the final. The top-end packages include bars offering Taittinger champagne, Lidio Carraro wines and Diageo spirits, along with the services of multilingual hostesses.