Participating teams, at least US$8 million. World champions, $35 million. Runners-up, $25 million. Teams that lose in the round of 16, $9 million. And quarter-finalists, $14 million. Overall, FIFA will allocate $576 million, a new record, and an increase from the $420 million allocated in South Africa.

Too bad there’s no payout to the tens of thousands of fans sweating in the stands, let alone the millions around the world who will glued to their TVs, laptops, a whole slew of mobile devices. So what if you can't afford the flight to Rio or the hat or the t-shirt or the entrance fee? With the largest, most competitive, most exciting, most testosterone-charged event of the year, if you can’t make it to the World Cup, the next best thing, is to watch it live wherever you are. 

But enough about me. I wonder if the world’s largest televised event is going to hold its weight – its data weight, that is. Remember back to when Obama was sworn in as President? It was the most watched event on the planet since we landed on the moon back in the 60’s – but lo and behold, the online streaming crashed. Everyone wanted to be part of history in the making, but the boys at WWW just couldn’t handle the pressure or the gazillion gigabytes of data that swept the airwaves. So I missed Barak Obama and I was upset. And then I was really upset.

Like many of my peers, I wondered if indeed the same thing would happen next month when every man, woman and child will be glued to their screens to witness the greatest goals on earth. Rio is going to be shouting out words we’ve never heard before. It’s going to be mega exciting, glamorous, colorful, you name it – but is it going to crash in the middle of FIFA 2014’s opening ceremonies? I figure if I’m not at home with the Mrs. watching in the living room or down at the local pub screaming profanities with my buddies and hooked to a giant screen, then all that’s left is unreliable Internet streaming and if that’s it, then maybe I should pack it in and fly to Brazil.

There’s been a whole of action bubbling in Latin America these last few months. First it was the carnival in Rio. Now it’s the FIFA games in June. And all the while, in the limelight, there’s been a little rumble, a little noise – and it’s been about Brazil’s big boom into DVB-T/ISDB-T TV. Yup, seems you can tune in to local television broadcasts, the digital kind, and watch them free of charge on a tiny little TV receiver – straight to your mobile device – and it’s even HD.

Going to the games? Nada. Not me. I’m bringing the games right into my bedroom or my office or my very own back yard. All I need is a good lounge chair and a nice, cold brew.