Brazil's sports minister defended the preparations for the 2014 World Cup on Wednesday, while acknowledging that there are no plans yet for the Sao Paulo stadium meant to stage the opening ceremony.
Orlando Silva said he has been reassured by local officials that a proposal is due within days, and said FIFA has been slow to approve plans.
FIFA has previously criticized Brazil's readiness, saying the country is behind schedule in several areas, including stadium renovation and infrastructure.
''These are the opinions of those who ignore the reality of the country,'' Silva said, adding that FIFA will soon ''see the reality close up. They will be surprised with the preparations for the World Cup.
''FIFA will have to do its part. Because projects for the stadiums were approved only this May, and you could not start work on the stadiums without the projects having been approved.''
In May, FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke was fiercely critical of preparations and Brazilian officials have previously acknowledged they have to pick up the pace.
A recent report by a government watchdog outlined the delays and warned that construction in some key areas, such as airports, may not be completed in time.
However, Silva said the lack of progress in building a stadium in Sao Paulo - Latin America's largest city - is the biggest hurdle.
''Sao Paulo is the only bottleneck in preparing for 2014 World Cup because the other 11 cities are preparing at a very good pace,'' he said.
Brazil football federation president Ricardo Teixeira said during a visit to a stadium in Belo Horizonte on Wednesday that he thinks the city is now the frontrunner to host the opening ceremony and first match.
Renovations to Belo Horizonte's Minerao stadium have already begun.
''Because they have started and they began before the others, Belo Horizonte has an advantage,'' Teixeira said.
Silva said a Brazilian bank has provided $2.7 billion of financing for the renovation or construction of stadiums, with a credit limit of $226 million for each project.
Earlier this month, the Brazilian government said it would invest nearly $3 billion to renovate and expand airports, and guarantee about $400 million to upgrade ports - news that Silva highlighted as proving the country was on track in its preparations.
But Silva said plans have yet to be finalized for other major areas - primarily in security, a major concern for foreign visitors. It proved to be a bigger spending drain than expected for the organizers of this year's World Cup in South Africa.
South African officials have agreed to provide a report of the positive and negative lessons learned from hosting the event, Silva said.
