FIFA confirm Brazil bid

FIFA confirmed Brazil's status as sole runner in a statement released after the handover. The Brazilians were effectively left with no competition on Wednesday when Colombia withdrew its bid.

Until that point Colombia and Brazil had been the only candidates to stage the tournament, with the 2014 event due to be held in South America under a rotation system introduced by FIFA.

Despite its apparent involvement in a one-horse race, Brazil has been told that it must still meet the necessary technical requirements and provide sufficient government guarantees.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter last month told a news conference that the World Cup could still be moved to another continent if Brazil failed to mount a convincing bid.

According to the statement released by FIFA on Friday, Brazil now has until the end of July to complete its bid.

FIFA will then carry out an inspection visit in September and a final decision on the hosting of the tournament is set to be made by the organisation's executive committee in November.