2006 World Cup Bids at a Glance

BRAZIL

* Host cities: Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Belo Horizonte, Porto Alegre, Brasilia, Goiania, Fortaleza, Salvador, Curitiba, Recife, Maceio, Manaus, Belem, Sao Luis.

* Stadiums: 14 existing, including 12 with capacity exceeding 50,000. Rio de Janeiro’s Maracana stadium, the world’s largest, is undergoing a $35-million remodeling, and capacity will be reduced to 90,000.

* Bid cost: Not disclosed

* Projected budget: Not disclosed

* Arguments for: The world’s No. 1-ranked team since winning the 1994 World Cup; only four-time Cup winner; only nation to participate in every Cup; last staged the Cup in 1950.

* Arguments against: Cost of meeting FIFA infrastructure requirements; scandals and lawsuits involving Brazilian Soccer Confederation.

* Population: 165 million

* Previous major sports events: 1950 World Cup; 2000 Club World Championship.

ENGLAND

* Host cities: London, Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Birmingham, Newcastle, Middlesbrough, Derby, Leicester, Coventry, Sheffield.

* Stadiums: 11 existing, four proposed. Wembley is to be rebuilt to house 90,000 and the largest existing stadium, Old Trafford, is being increased to 67,000 capacity.

* Bid cost: $14 million paid for by Football Association, Premier League and Sport England (lottery money grant). Nothing from public funds.

* Projected budget: $10 billion being spent anyway on stadium building, renewal. Nothing from public funds.

* Arguments for: So-called birthplace of soccer; most of infrastructure in place; Premier League attracts many of world’s best.

* Arguments against: Chronic hooligan problem when fans travel abroad.

* Population: 48 million

* Previous major sports events: 1966 World Cup; 1996 European Championship; 1999 cricket World Cup.

GERMANY

* Host cities: Berlin, Bremen, Cologne, Dortmund, Duesseldorf, Frankfurt, Gelsenkirchen, Hamburg, Hanover, Kaiserslautern, Leipzig, Leverkusen, Moenchengladbach, Munich, Nuremberg, Stuttgart.

* Stadiums: All cities already have stadiums. Some are undergoing major reconstruction, such as the Olympic stadium in Berlin.

* Bid cost: Not disclosed.

* Projected budget: Not disclosed.

* Arguments for: Strong soccer tradition; highly developed infrastructure; one of the strongest economies.

* Arguments against: Why not give the World Cup to a nation that has never hosted it?

* Population: 80 million.

* Previous major sports events (after World War II): 1972 Olympics in Munich; 1974 World Cup; 1988 European Championship; 1993 World Athletics Championships.

MOROCCO

* Host cities: Agadir, Casablanca, El-Jadida, Fes, Marrakech, Meknes, Nador, Oujda, Rabat, Settat, Tangier.

* Stadiums: Three stadiums already constructed in Casablanca, Rabat and Fes. Largest is Casablanca (capacity 55,000). Ten stadiums to be constructed.

* Bid cost: Not disclosed.

* Projected budget: Not disclosed.

* Arguments for: Support for African candidate; low crime; climate; country’s passion for soccer; proximity to Europe.

* Arguments against: Lack of large stadiums; little experience in hosting major sports events; limited highway system; little international support.

* Population: 30 million

* Previous major sports events: World cross-country championships; Hassan II soccer tournament; Hassan II golf tournament.

SOUTH AFRICA

* Host cities: Johannesburg, Pretoria, Cape Town, Durban, Port Elizabeth, Bloemfontein, Pietersburg, Rustenberg and Mafikeng.

* Stadiums: Nine existing, four proposed. The largest existing stadium, FNB Stadium in Johannesburg, seats 85,000 but would be upgraded to seat 110,000.

* Bid cost: $8.3 million paid mostly by sponsors.

* Projected cup budget: $336 million to be covered largely by ticket sales and suppliers.

* Arguments for: Africa has never hosted a soccer World Cup, and hosting the cup would bring a much-needed boost to the economy.

* Arguments against: If the high crime rate persists, it could scare spectators away.

* Population: 44 million.

* Previous major sports events: 1995 rugby World Cup; 1996 Africa Cup of Nations soccer tournament; the 1998 track and field World Cup; host nation for 2003 cricket World Cup.