FIFA has approved a plan by the Corinthians soccer club that will allow its new stadium to host matches during the 2014 World Cup.
Although in a statement on its website Tuesday, FIFA didn't indicate if the Corinthians stadium would definitely host the opening match.
The sport's governing body originally wanted to stage the World Cup opener at Sao Paulo, but those plans were shelved when the Morumbi stadium was rejected as a venue because of a lack of financial guarantees.
The proposal by Corinthians to construct a new stadium gained momentum last month when Sao Paulo city officials announced that Brazil's federal government approved tax incentives for its creation.
Those tax incentives are meant to help Corinthians upgrade its planned seating capacity from 48,000 to 65,000, enough to make it a viable World Cup venue.
Sao Paulo, Brazil's largest city, had been without a stadium project since Morumbi was dropped, a decision which has also been reaffirmed by FIFA.
Last week, a report from a government watchdog group said Brazil needs to improve the pace of upgrades to airports, infrastructure and stadiums before the 2014 World Cup.
The Brazilian Audit Court criticized officials for missing deadlines, not controlling costs and a lack of transparency in their work. The Audit Court is responsible for overseeing how the Brazilian government spends public money.
The report says 2011 is a key year to start major projects so they can be completed before the World Cup. But it found widespread problems in most of the 12 host cities.
There are issues with urban transportation improvements in some host cities and doubts whether the crown jewel of Brazilian soccer — Maracana Stadium in Rio — will be ready as scheduled, the report said.
The warning came just days after soccer great Pele and former FIFA President Joao Havelange expressed concerns about the pace of preparations for soccer's biggest tournament.
Pele said Brazil was facing a "big risk of being embarrassed" because of delays in stadium construction and the renovation of the nation's overcrowded and saturated airports.
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