Brazil starts two-year countdown to 2014 World Cup

Brazil marked exactly two years until the 2014 World Cup gets underway on Tuesday, with former national team striker Ronaldo admitting that his country “can feel the responsibilityincreasing” as they prepare to host the tournament.

The South American nation will host the competition for the first time since 1950, with the opening match being played in the Arena deSao Paulo on June 12, 2014. Preparations thus far have been dogged by worries over stadium projects and infrastructure improvements, with a FIFA report published last month suggesting that work tobuild or refurbish six of the 12 host venues may not be completed on time.

“With every passing second we can feel the responsibility on our shoulders increasing,” Ronaldo told fifa.com. “We know it’s getting closer and that it’s not a dream, and we want to show over the next two years that we can perform off thefield too, that we can stage a great FIFA World Cup with a Brazilian flavor to it.”