At the time of scheduling the Grand Prix last year, the World Cup had been taken into consideration and the dates had been specifically chosen to avoid such a conflict. However, Wizards of the Coast took these recent concerns seriously and evaluated options with the tournament organizer, Let's Collect.
Changing the date of a Grand Prix is far from trivial. Some players start planning their travel as soon as the schedule is posted, and moving a Grand Prix also has an impact on the rest of the year's schedule. Lastly, the event venue was contracted at the time the schedule was announced a few months ago.
With that said, the organizer and local judges assessed if the flight and accommodation costs would fluctuate significantly if the Grand Prix were to be rescheduled either earlier in May or in September. Based on their findings, prices were extremely similar. Therefore, the organizer recommended proceeding as planned.
To help players deal with any potential issues, Let's Collect has also teamed up with local hotels offering affordable rates. All details can be found on the gpsaopaulo2014.com website. Shuttles will be organized from those hotels to the venue.
We encourage you to book early!