Brazil has a magical group in the World Cup, but scheduling rules delay logistics

The Brazilian national team has a magical group that they hope to be drawn into by FIFA this Friday. It is Group G, with games in Seattle and Los Angeles, in the United States, and Vancouver, in Canada. Despite the draw having changed rules and the seeded teams only finding out the stadiums they will play in on Saturday, one day after the groups are defined, Group G will only have matches in the three cities mentioned. ‘Climate control will be a very important factor in choosing where we will work,’ says the manager of the men’s team, Cícero Souza.
Six months ago, after the first call-up of Carlo Ancelotti, the UOL asked the Italian coach if he would choose between Seattle or Florida if he had the right to choose: ‘Seattle!’ Ancelotti did not even blink or raise an eyebrow. He responded curtly, decisively. This is because he was assistant coach to Arrigo Sacchi during Italy’s campaign as runners-up in 1994, and that entire Azzurra team believes they lost because Brazil stayed in the cooler temperature host city of San Francisco, while the Italians sweltered under the 40°C sun in New York.
Back then, the seeded teams worked politically for the desired host cities. While Ricardo Teixeira, president of the CBF, considered Orlando due to the Brazilian community, the fitness coach, Moracy Sant’Anna, convinced everyone that it was best to go to San Francisco, where days were around 28°C and nights close to 20°C. Brazil left California to play in Dallas and Detroit. The heat was intense. Then they returned to milder weather. Since the 1998 World Cup, seeded teams no longer choose their host cities. This time, it’s even worse. Mexico (Group A), Canada (B), and the United States (D) already know their paths, being labeled as A1, B1, and D1. All other seeded teams will have the number 1, but they don’t know the corresponding group letter, and the matches will only be defined on Saturday.