Despite the disappointing finish in the 2014 FIFA World Cup team for host country Brazil, the success of the tournament overall is good news for Brazil, who are underway preparations for the rapidly approaching 2016 Olympics.

The director of communications for the Brazil Olympics, Mario Andrada, said the positive overall feeling about the sports competition has taken away from the sting of Brazil's 7-1 loss to the ultimate victor, Germany.

"We learned that once the games begun, once the ball start rolling, the moods changed," Andrada told Al-Jazeera. "Sports, good sports, technical sports and great athletes inspire the public. They much rather hear about Neymar, Muller and Messi, than to hear the games are costing more and the work is behind schedule."

However, some are still skeptical of Brazil's plans to be ready by 2016. In April, International Olympic Committee Vice President John Coates said the country's preparations were the worst he had ever seen.

Andrada and his team were angered by the insinuation that they weren't doing enough.

"At that time, we were upset," Andrada said. "Now we can take this as an energy booster. If nobody believes in you, you go there and do it. It is the wrong perception to imagine that Brazilians work better with a kick in their behind. Brazilians work better when they find support and when they find cooperation and partnership."

There were doubts cast before the World Cup as well. Stadiums were not complete and costs, said to be inflated by corruption, skyrocketed for taxpayers. At least 10 workers died during World Cup construction projects.

Once underway, however, everything seemed to be running swell, with FIFA President Sepp Blatter calling the tournament one of the most successful in history.

There is still much to do before Rio is ready. Ten of the 16 sites are not expected to be completed before late 2015 or early 2016, and the Deodoro Sports Complex, venue for seven sports, began construction this month. The Mayor of Rio de Janeiro said the city will not be able to clean the polluted Guanabara Bay, which will host the sailing events. Costs of the games are already 23 percent above the original 2009 budget, sitting at a whopping $16 billion.

"The planning for the Olympics is totally different from the World Cup," Roberto Ainbinder, project director of the Rio Games, said. "We have learned from the World Cup. But for us, the most important example was the Olympics in London in 2012. And Sochi as well."