2014 World Cup ‘Last-Minute' Cramming; Brazil Under Pressure on Eve of the Tournament

The best football players in the world will begin their quest representing their respective countries as the 2014 World Cup officially kicks off on June 12.

But Brazil has faced "last-minute cramming" due to "construction delays" resulting in an urgency to organize not only the stadiums, including airports and roads. Can Brazil manage to host one of the world's biggest sporting events?

According to CBS News, the Brazilian government has already spent over $11 billion for the planning and groundwork of the tournament. But other pending preparations are expected at the very last minute.

Brazil is putting on the finishing touches 1 day before the start of #WorldCup. More on tonight's @CBSEveningNews.
— Elaine Quijano (@Elaine_Quijano) June 11, 2014

Construction workers reportedly were challenged to complete the stadium in the last week before Brazil holds the first match on Thursday, the news outlet reported. In addition to the construction dilemmas, the host nation also faced the predicament of road blockages due to occasional "transit strikes," making the stadium largely difficult to get to by road.

Christopher Haress of International Business Times considered Brazil as the "least prepared nation among the 16 that have hosted the World Cup."

"Airports are unfinished and hard to navigate with the threat of disruptive strikes and water and power shortages looms. The poor condition of the playing field in some stadiums, including in Manaus, may cause injuries to players and a majority of Brazilians, after hundreds of thousands took to the streets in protest of spending too much money for the Cup, think it was a bad idea to organize it," Haress wrote.

Brazilian President Dilma Roussef is buoyant and hopeful that the nation will be able to pull off hosting the World Cup. She recorded a speech for her countrymen that was aired on Tuesday evening. Roussef remained cheerful despite that ongoing problems and protests that the host nation is battling.

"I'm certain that in the 12 host cities, visitors are going to mix with a happy, generous and hospitable people, and be impressed by a nation full of natural beauty and which fights each day to become more equal," Roussef said.