Global media confirms: Brazil hosts the Cup of Cups.

247 - The bad mood and climate of terror propagated by the Brazilian press – which disseminated pessimistic predictions to international media outlets – and by the opposition to the Dilma Rousseff (PT) government had the opposite effect. A survey conducted by the Uol portal, from the Folha group, released this Monday, the 30th, indicates that a large portion of foreign journalists see the World Cup in Brazil as the best ever.

The survey was conducted with 117 communication professionals covering the event in Brazil. Of the total respondents, 38,5% consider the competition hosted in the country to be the best they have ever seen. In second place is the World Cup held in Germany in 2006, with 19,7% of responses, and in third place is the one in South Africa in 2010, which received the approval of 5,1% of the journalists interviewed.

In fourth place is the World Cup hosted in the United States in 1994, when Brazil won its fourth title, followed by Italy-1990 (with 3,4% of the votes), France-1998 (3,4%), Japan and Korea-2002 (3,4%), Mexico-1986 (1,7%), Mexico-1970 (1,7%) and Germany-1974 (0,9%). Among those interviewed, 1,7% did not respond. According to the survey, 16,2% of professionals said they were covering their first World Cup.

About 20 days ago, when this year's World Cup hadn't even started yet, it would have been practically impossible to predict the numbers that have just been presented at the exhibition, given the feeling spread by major Brazilian newspapers that everything would go wrong. Unfinished construction, transportation difficulties, and even the prediction of a dengue epidemic were highlighted in the media.

However, it becomes clear that after the satisfaction expressed by foreign fans, who frequently highlight the hospitality of the Brazilian people and their satisfaction in getting to know the country – as we can now see in daily news reports – foreign journalists have also concluded that it was all a great exaggeration.

Below is a report from Agência Brasil about the fans' opinions, published on the 22nd:

Foreign fans claim that the World Cup in Brazil is the best ever.

With the experience of eight World Cups, Irishman Daniel Sheahan, 55, doesn't hesitate: "This World Cup is the best one yet." Sheahan's opinion is shared by many tourists who, like him, have participated in other editions of the tournament.

"Not that everything is perfect. In every World Cup I've been to, there's been some kind of problem, like high prices, transportation difficulties, or theft. But that's part of an event of this magnitude," the Irishman, who has had his backpack stolen in two editions of the tournament, told Agência Brasil.

"That happened during the World Cup in France, when two people grabbed my backpack and ran off on a motorcycle, and during the World Cup in the United States, when they took my backpack in a moment of distraction," he recalled. "In the case of France, a friend of mine went through the same problem. Apparently, it was a gang of motorcyclists specialized in this type of robbery," he added.

A fan of Brazilian football, the Irishman always preferred Brazil's games, but it wasn't always possible to watch them because there were other points of interest. "This World Cup really has many special things. Comparing it to the one in South Africa is almost unfair – the noise of the vuvuzelas was unbearable and ruined the atmosphere in the stadium. To make matters worse, a lot of saliva came out of all the vuvuzelas, which was quite worrying because the incidence of diseases like tuberculosis is very high in that country.

Not here: Brazilians seek to have fun without bothering others. "There's a clear desire to make everything special. This didn't happen at the World Cup in Germany because, despite being very polite, Germans tend to be cold in their dealings with tourists." Besides the four World Cups mentioned – United States in 1994; France in 1998; Germany in 2006; and South Africa in 2010 – and the current one, Daniel Sheahan also attended the World Cups in Spain in 1982; Mexico in 1986; and Italy in 1990.

Ecuadorian José Bastidas, 31, shares a similar impression. "It's not just the Brazilians' willingness to help tourists. There are many more parties here and communication is easier, even because of the similarities with other languages. It's easier for us to understand and be understood by Brazilians," he said.

The 2014 World Cup is the fourth for Swiss coach Domenique Brenner, 40. "Compared to 1998, 2006, and 2010, this is the best because it's being played in the best place and with the best people," he stated. "The organization of the event is always quite similar because it involves the same structure, which is the FIFA structure."

Brenner's biggest criticism is regarding the ATM machines at banks in Brazil, which he has been using to avoid going to currency exchange offices. "Many of these machines don't accept international cards," he complains.

Brenner and other Swiss citizens interviewed by Agência Brasil complained about the price of restaurants in the host cities and drinks in the stadiums. "Despite being very good, the restaurants are very expensive. Especially the steakhouses," said Brenner. Denis Rapin, 47, however, believes that not everything is so expensive, considering it's a World Cup. He is traveling with a group of 20 people.

According to Rapin, the prices in the city aren't as high as he imagined. "It's FIFA that charges high prices here. Especially for beer in the stadiums," he said. "This is my first World Cup, but it won't be my last. These days have been very pleasant. The receptiveness and friendliness of the Brazilians is truly impressive. Everyone is very friendly, from the taxi drivers to the tourism professionals. In Brasília [where he watched the match between Switzerland and Ecuador], I missed having more festive bars. I think what's missing here are typical bars specializing in cachaça."

Elza Alves Lobo, owner of a snack bar in the TV Tower called GO Minas, doesn't speak English, but she uses a lot of friendliness to compensate for this limitation, in addition to having prepared a menu in Portuguese, English, French, and Spanish. "I make a point of talking, or trying to talk, with everyone. The atmosphere is one of great enthusiasm and joy."

Traveling through South America for seven months, 34-year-old Andre Urech is visiting Brazil for the first time, where he is attending his second World Cup. The first was in South Africa. "Everything is so good that we've already decided: we'll be back in Brazil as soon as possible. We're simply loving the people here," he said, alongside his travel companion Ramona Rüegg, who also went to the 2010 World Cup. She agrees: "The atmosphere here is much better, and the people are much friendlier."

Both praised the organization of the event, despite the difficulties they have been having with public transportation. "It took us about 30 minutes to catch a bus, and taxis are very expensive," said Urech. "But it's all part of the atmosphere and feeling that surrounds a World Cup," he added.

Like other Swiss fans who attended the game against Ecuador, the couple complained mainly about the difficulty in buying beer. "The line is very long and makes us miss a lot of the game. But this also happened in Africa," he said.

Carlos Rodríguez, a director at Barcelona de Guayaquil in Ecuador, also considers this the best World Cup of all time. "It's far superior both on and off the field," he said.

"One thing that strikes me is the fact that it [the World Cup] is completely different from what the press had been showing. Brazil is 100% when it comes to receiving tourists. Everything is perfect: the hospitality, the infrastructure. Furthermore, there's a lot of love and joy in the air. We came here precisely to enjoy this World Cup atmosphere," said Rodríguez.

Colombian advertising executive Héctor Greco, 33, was also pleasantly surprised by the Brazilian World Cup. "I expected much less. What surprised me most was the cultural exchange between countries in a competitive atmosphere without conflict. It's a unique opportunity to see the world in one place."

He laments the long distances that have to be traveled to attend the games. "Plane tickets are expensive, it's difficult to go by bus, and unfortunately there isn't a culture of passenger transport by train in Brazil." For the advertising executive, accommodation is also very expensive: "We paid R$ 21 to rent an apartment in Rio de Janeiro for a month."

Oswaldo Vallejo, a 56-year-old plastic surgeon and honorary consul of Ecuador in Campinas, has already spent over R$ 18 on airfare, accommodation, and game tickets for his first World Cup experience.

"I don't know Brasília very well because I only arrived a day ago, but getting from the hotel to the stadium was quite easy, due to its proximity. This is truly a great advantage for the city," he said, amidst praise for the publicity, the signs, and the volunteers who were "proactive and always trying to help, even in situations where we don't need it."

After traveling more than 8 kilometers by bus from Quito, Ecuador, administrator Paul Tamayo and engineers Alvaro Granda and Edgar Baculima chose to camp at the University of Brasília (UnB). All to watch Ecuador's debut in the World Cup.

The hardship didn't diminish the enthusiasm: "Brazil is very beautiful, as are the people," Tamayo observed. Asked about prices in the capital, Granda replied: "We don't talk about prices. Traveling here was quite tough, but with the desire to see Ecuador play, everything becomes easier."

Another traveler who came to experience the World Cup was 28-year-old Australian Victor Vu, hoping to see an Asian or African country win the competition. "I'm mainly rooting for Ivory Coast because of [striker] Drogba, who I'm a fan of. But what really motivated me to come was the good reputation Brazil has on the other side of the world, especially regarding parties."

Despite his country not qualifying for the World Cup, Jan Kolin, from the Czech Republic, wanted to come to Brazil to see it being held "in the most successful country" in the world of football. "Since I was a child I dreamed of seeing a World Cup. When I learned that it would be in Brazil, I decided to make that dream a reality," said Kolin, who faces communication problems, since, according to him, few people speak English in Brazil.

Peruvians Marcial Olano, 55, and Hernán Chávez, 45, didn't need their national team's participation in the World Cup to decide to enjoy the tournament in Brazil. "We want a South American country to win because we are brother nations united in the same cheering," said Olano.

Chávez came to fulfill the dream of his 13-year-old son, Jared. "We didn't expect so much organization. This surprised us greatly. It's better than we had dreamed. We haven't had any problems, we've been well taken care of, and the organization of the cities and FIFA is very good. That's why we're already planning to go to the World Cup in Russia so that, if everything goes well, we can cheer for our country's team [Peru]."

For the first time in Brazil, engineers Andres Navaez and Elizabeth Montenegro, both Ecuadorians, also say they are passionate about football. That's why they've already been to the World Cups in South Africa and Germany. According to them, Brasília lacks more efficient services for tourists.

"There's a lack of information even at the Convention Center, where we picked up our tickets. They couldn't even tell us where the tourist information desk was," said Elizabeth. "Luckily, Spanish and Portuguese are similar languages," added Navaez.

Swiss national Lionel Holzaer, 30, isn't a football fan, but he loves parties and traveling. According to him, Brazil has "good conditions" for receiving tourists. "My biggest difficulty has been the language."