(Editor’s Note: The Broadband Report is a weekly feature every Monday on WRAL TechWire.)

CHARLESTON, S.C. – Ronaldo, Messi, Suarez, Rooney, Neymar; internet, broadband, smart grids, telecommunications and cyber infrastructure – what do these all have in common?

Each will face a huge test this week as the world’s biggest sporting event gets underway in Brazil.

On Thursday, Brazil faces Croatia in the opening game of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Sao Paulo. ESPN has the broadcast rights for the event in the United States. ESPN Senior Vice President and Executive Producer Jed Drake reported on Friday that his team’s preparation has been going “exceptionally well” despite some of the local infrastructure issues.

As expected, some of the stadiums are not at the level of completion the country would have liked to have them at this point, and broadband access is facing a massive challenge as the country prepares to serve millions of soccer fans armed with their mobile phones, smart TVs, PCs and tablets.

The Broadband Forum, a non-profit industry organization based in California, said the World Cup – coupled with 2016’s Olympic Games – is going to test Brazil’s broadband infrastructure across all technologies.

“The World Cup is one of the world’s most popular events which will undoubtedly put pressure on the fixed and mobile broadband network infrastructure,” said Broadband Forum CEO Robin Mersh in an announcement.

The Brazilian broadband market is dominated by the more traditional and slower speed ADSL, but fiber has been growing rapidly in the urban areas since in 2008 as operators are starting to provide major bandwidth uplifts to their customers.

Oliver Johnson, CEO of broadband analyst firm Point Topic, said Brazil is a leading light for broadband in South America and that it has good competition in many areas with the capacity to increase bandwidth for swathes of the urban population. Added Johnson, “if Brazil can reduce consumer costs and address the lack of rural infrastructure, it can reach out to an increasingly large educated pool of potential customers eager to access the bandwidth of its urban cousins.”

After seven years of planning and billions of dollars spent on infrastructure including new stadiums, airport upgrades and telecommunications, electric power and security initiatives, is Brazil really ready to host soccer’s premier event from June 12 to July 13?

FIFA and the Brazilian government have taken steps to ensure mobile coverage at each venue. But FIFA’s marketing director Thierry Weil warned fans may still struggle to make calls and send messages during matches due to congested networks.

“We’ve learned from the Confederations Cup, and put specific trucks outside the stadium to enhance connectivity. But having 70,000 in a stadium, where everybody wants to make a phone call at halftime, I’d say you better talk to your boyfriend or girlfriend ahead of the game,” said Weil.

Brazilian operators have met their promise of providing 4G coverage. But handsets, widely used in the United States, Europe and Australia, will not be compatible with Brazil’s 2.5 GHz spectrum, meaning many tourists will be limited to 3G.

The government also has adopted measures to guarantee power supply. Under an operational energy plan previously announced, each stadium will be monitored around the clock by national power grid operator ONS. Utilities also have been obliged to upgrade transmission and distribution infrastructure.

“Hosting the 2014 World Cup and the Olympic Games (in 2016) represent a major turning point for Brazil, opening up a wide range of opportunities,” closed Mersh. “However, the country must perform like an Olympic athlete to meet the challenge of the huge network load that will surge during this period.”