re: Why are the World Cup match times so early?

Well Brazils time zone allows them to cater to a wider audience than South Korea.

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I believe I woke up around 3-4 a.m. to watch the US get "handed" out of the Cup in 2002.

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I did the same. I actually stayed up and watched all of the games other than Germany which I recorded and watched the next morning. That being said, that was played in Korea and it's impossible to have them play at a time that accommodates FIFA's beloved Europe and the Americas as well. It's unfortunate but I understand why they're playing the games so early here. Gives Europe prime-time viewership, and South American countries can watch the games in the middle of the day.