Emirates, one of the world’s fastest growing international airlines and an Official FIFA Worldwide Partner, welcomes passengers to Brazil for the upcoming FIFA Confederations Cup 2013, as the one year countdown to the start of the 2014 FIFA World Cup begins.

Just as Emirates brings together people from the 77 nations served worldwide, the FIFA Confederations Cup 2013 brings together football teams from Brazil, Japan, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Uruguay, Tahiti and Nigeria, to fight for the cup between 15-30 June, 2013, in the cities of Belo Horizonte, Fortaleza, Recife, Salvador, Brasilia and Rio de Janeiro.

“As the only airline to be an Official FIFA Worldwide Partner, Emirates sees the FIFA Confederations Cup 2013 in Brazil as a way to connect football fans around the world for this precursor to the 2014 FIFA World Cup. We are looking forward to seeing the action increase next year when Brazil welcomes the 2014 FIFA World Cup,” said Ralf Aasmann, Emirates Country Manager in Brazil. “With daily flights into São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, Emirates connects Brazilians to our network of 134 destinations in 77 countries; including our latest destination in Japan, Tokyo’s Haneda.”

As an official FIFA Partner, Emirates will be involved with the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil as well as the FIFA Women’s World Cup, the FIFA U20 and U17 World Cup, and the FIFA Confederations Cup 2013. Emirates has also announced that it will be a Global Partner of Formula One; bringing the ‘Fly Emirates’ branding  to 15 races around the world, including the event in São Paulo.

Emirates sponsors some of the most popular football clubs in the world; including, AC Milan, Hamburger SV, Arsenal FC, Olympiacos FC, and Paris Saint-Germain, plus the recently announced shirt sponsorship of Real Madrid. In the first foray into football in the USA, Emirates recently announced sponsorship of the Cosmos team in New York City; supporting the revival of this legendary team whose honorary chairman is the renowned Brazilian football legend Pelé.

Emirates’ operations from São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires connect South America to the world through the airline's extensive route network, with connections beyond Dubai to the Far East, Australia, the Middle East and Africa. The flight from Sao Paulo is operated with the Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, with capacity for 354 passengers, and Rio de Janeiro with the Boeing 777-200LR, with capacity for 266 passengers.

Emirates flies daily from Dubai to Malta via Larnaka, Cyprus using a Boeing 777-200 aircraft.