Bound for Brazil

A shopping mall in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, erects a 5-meter-high replica of the World Cup trophy before the opening of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. Wang Jiankang / For China Daily

"We contacted them in advance online. It will be a great experience to play soccer in Brazil," Shen says.

Shen is a bit worried about safety in Brazil, where the security situation can be precarious, so his group have rented a car and hired a local Chinese guide.

"We are planning to see the slums to learn more about the country, and will hire a bodyguard. The two ladies don't want to go because they are concerned about safety," he says.

According to the travel website Tianxun.cn, from January through April, flight searches for Brazil by Chinese users increased by 354 percent from the same period in 2013. Many flight searches originated from Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu and Wuhan. Most Chinese flights to Brazil depart from those cities.

"Some netizens on our website have been planning for their Brazil trips. They have to encounter difficulties such as high costs, long flight hours and language barriers," says Zhang Zherui, marketing and content director of Qyer.com, a popular website for overseas travel.

Pan Dan from Nanning, the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, has saved for several months to cover his 15-day trip to the World Cup. The 30-year-old health administrator and project assessor is a fan of Portugal, Argentina and Spain's national teams and has bought tickets to three matches, one between the US and Portugal, one between Ghana and Portugal, and a quarterfinal.

He estimates the cost will be between 50,000 and 60,000 yuan ($9,606). But money is not the only problem.