FIFA inspectors began a visit to Brazil on Thursday to check on preparations at two potential Confederations Cup venues.
The inspectors traveled to Salvador on Thursday and will be in Recife on Friday to evaluate infrastructure work and stadium construction at the venues in northeastern Brazil.
The inspectors will prepare a report to be presented to FIFA leadership and the local World Cup organizing committee, and a decision on whether the cities will be included in next year's warmup tournament is expected by June.
Salvador and Recife are trying to join four other cities already set to host the Confederations Cup: Rio de Janeiro, Brasilia, Belo Horizonte and Fortaleza.
Local organizers recently said slow preparations in Recife prompted concerns from FIFA, and the city was in danger of being dropped from the tournament.
Local organizing committee president Jose Maria Marin visited the city recently and met with local authorities to try to expedite work and make sure everything was prepared in time for FIFA. He said he got enough guarantees and was optimistic Recife would be included.
Work at Arena Pernambuco was less than 35 percent complete just a few weeks ago.
''This visit will be important because we will present all the details of our preparations,'' said Amir Schvartz, the official in charge of Recife's preparations. ''We will show not only the work being done at Arena Pernambuco, but also what is being done about the infrastructure needed to organize the World Cup.''
In Salvador, work at Arena Fonte Nova was more than 55 percent ready, but there have been some problems in the city, too.
There was a workers' strike last week that added pressure to city officials ahead of the FIFA visit. The workers returned to work after accepting a pay raise and improved benefits. The union representing them said the workers wanted more, but accepted the constructors' offer to help the city keep alive its chances of hosting games in the Confederations Cup.
There was also a brief work stoppage this week at the stadium after local inspectors said safety measures were not being properly followed.
Brazil Sports Minister Aldo Rebelo said last Friday he was not worried about delays in stadium construction. He said Brazil will have problems just as organizers had problems organizing previous World Cups, but was confident Brazil will deliver the World Cup without major glitches.
''There is no mystery in organizing a World Cup, there's only a lot of work,'' Rebelo said. ''And we are working to have everything ready and we will host a great World Cup.''
Brazil is organizing the World Cup for the first time since 1950.
---
Follow Tales Azzoni at http://twitter.com/tazzoni
