FIFA: Pitch will be fine for England-Italy

Top FIFA officials have downplayed concerns over the state of the pitch in Manaus where Italy and England open their World Cup campaigns on Saturday.

With just two days to go before the game, workers were scurrying to lay grass around the stadium exterior and fill large holes around the perimeter with concrete.

The pitch looked dry and worn in patches - surprising since the new $US229 million ($A247.77 million) stadium has never been used before.

"We are confident as ever that everything will be managed properly," a FIFA official said.

A day earlier the mayor of Manaus, Arthur Virgilio also said that the media was exaggerating the extent of the problem. "I am sure the pitch will be OK," he said at a press conference.

The English media, which has long voiced concern that the hot and humid weather in Manaus could handicap its team, had also raised the alarm about the state of the pitch.

Manaus is situated deep in the Amazon jungle and can only be reached by air or river, hampering efforts to bring in the equipment and supplies that have been needed to prepare the playing surface. The region is also subject to torrential downpours which have complicated the drainage issues at the new stadium.

"What a farce. England will start their World Cup on a woeful pitch that would shame your local council," wrote the Daily Mail.

The Italian team sent a delegation to inspect the pitch for themselves, federation official Demetrio Albertini said Thursday.

But while admitting that many secondary preparations were still to be completed, FIFA officials said that concerns over the state of the pitch were overblown and that the playing surface would be ready for the game and the training sessions that the Italian and English teams are due to hold on Friday.