Ready or not, the 2014 FIFA World Cup is here.  And there are indications that Brazil is kind of partially ready.  For instance, the Sao Paulo subway strike appears to be off, just in time for thousands of fans to ride the Metro system to the stadium hosting the first game of the tournament, Brazil versus Croatia.

But if anyone was planning to fly out of Rio de Janeiro to Sao Paulo on the day of the match, they’re likely out of luck.  The union representing airport mechanics, maintenance workers, and engineers called for a strike at Rio’s two main airports, Galeao and Santos Dumont, as well as the smaller Jacarepagua airport.

And the bus workers’ union in the northeastern city of Natal have announced a strike beginning on Thursday, taking at least 70 percent of the fleet out of circulation just before Friday’s Group A match up between Mexico and Cameroon. 

Back in Sao Paulo, Itaquerao stadium – also known as Corinthians Stadium – isn’t finished yet.  Parts of the stadium and grounds that aren’t ready are being covered with colorful tarps and banners.  Orange cones surround wet cement that may or may not dry before the match.  Organizers maintain that everything will go according to plan, even though about 1,300 people were forced to swap their opening match tickets for another game because the seating configuration at Corinthians had changed.  FIFA insists that has nothing to do with construction delays.