World Cup in Brazil to pose extreme heat threat

Teams competing at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil could face temperatures in excess of 30 centigrade, according to data from the country's Institute of Meteorology (Inmet). Football's governing body FIFA announced the tournament's kickoff times on Thursday with 1pm starts scheduled for the cities of Natal, Recife, Salvador and Fortaleza. All are located in Brazil's northeast - the country's hottest region. Despite being played in Brazil's winter months of June and July, Inmet figures show the average maximum temperature in the period in Fortaleza is 29 C, with highs often soaring above 30 C. Natal has an average June-July maximum of 24.5 C, Recife 24 C and Salvador 23 C. Teams drawn to play in the southern city of Curitiba are likely to face the opposite problem. The city, which will host one of its four World Cup matches at 7 pm, has an average winter maximum of 13 C with night time temperatures sometimes dipping below zero. The opening match of the World Cup will take place at 5pm on June 12 while the final will be played at Rio de Janeiro's iconic Maracana Stadium at 4pm on July 13. The draw for the group stages is set to take place on December 6 next year after the completion of FIFA's regional qualifying tournaments.