About an hour before the start of Saturday's draw, a large canvas panel on the side of the stage was partially ripped off. Portions of the fabric panels used as a kind of ceiling also were torn. Workers were trying to put the canvas back in place.

The qualifying draw will determine each nation's path in its bid to reach the tournament in three years. This is the first major World Cup-related event in Brazil since 2007 when the country was awarded the tournament for the first time in 64 years.