To put it in perspective, the hosting rights to the 2022 Qatar World Cup has been flogged to death well before the 2014 one will kick off.
Remember South Africa?
They were expected to win the rights to the 2006 cup but New Zealand Fifa member, the late Charlie Dempsey, oddly abstained from casting a vote for South Africa on the instruction of the Oceania Football Confederation.
Germany went through although it was widely reported Fifa boss Sepp Blatter would have voted for South Africa had they tied 12-12.
Instead, South Africa hosted the last cup in 2010 which had similar rumblings of all sorts of social, political and economic ramifications.
Apparently it was supposed to be an unsafe country for foreign fans.
Some of the contingent of All Whites fans from Hawke's Bay, on returning home, said it was scaremongering.
Whether fans will be victims of crime in Brazil remains to be seen but that's a risk every traveller braces for any time, anywhere in the world.
Evidently not every host nations' books will balance in the profit-and-loss stakes but none is naive enough to throw its hat into the ring without realising there's an ever-present risk of failure in such large-scale economic ventures.
Despite the economic gulf among countries, the reality remains it's a global entity and that translates to hosting the tourney universally.
Mercifully soccer lovers can now focus on conjuring novel excuses to offer to their bosses for not turning up to work.
The bleary-eyed brigade, in this part of the world at least, will be thankful for more earthly kick-off times and understanding employers will possibly be open to suggestions of TV time at work with perhaps a clause to finish assignments later that night.
Who will win the World Cup?
It seems the masses are resigned to accepting the magic of the host nation is bad enough anywhere but, at home, they should lift the lump of 18-carat "hollow gold".
Defending champions Spain, whom Brazil comprehensively thumped in last year's Confederation Cup, could create history in winning a title in the South American continent.
Many pundits believe Lionel Messi and Argentina will steal the thunder.
Of course, if you ask the Poms Wayne Rooney will be sparking England into life and, because they lost to Chile, the latter are the dark horses.
The prudent will note it takes more than a Cristiano Ronaldo or controversial Luis Suarez to help lift the trophy for Portugal or Uruguay, respectively, in any team sport.
That makes the Uruguay (Suarez) v England (Rooney) game on June 20 interesting.
Spain v The Netherlands match from 7am this Saturday is touted as the one to watch among the 32 nations.
Does that group B, by default, become the group of death or should that go to Group G with Germany, Portugal, Ghana and the US?
Frankly, the entire tourney will be tipped on its head if Croatia beat Brazil on a Black Friday or Nigeria upset Argentina.
World No59 Australia are the lowest-ranked nation so, suffice it to say, the Socceroos will be done like shrimps on a barbie, mate. They will, no doubt, forever treasure sending mums and cobbers postcards.
What will put me off most will be the shirt pulling and theatrical dives of the Suarez variety.
If referees don't police that then Suarez's biting will become a welcome distraction.
At the end of it all, the media will scramble to draw ridiculous conclusions on why, for argument's sake, Ronaldo, Messi or Neymar are better than "overrated players" from yesteryear, such as Pele and Diego Maradona.
