Although the outcome had been known for months, Brazil's delegation at Fifa House were still thrilled yesterday when their country was named as the 2014 World Cup hosts.

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva led the celebrations when he told delegates: "I would just like to say how happy I am to see Brazil's name showing up on that card.

"The fact Brazil has been chosen to host the World Cup in 2014 is a reason for us to have a great party and to be very happy. But we go back to Brazil knowing we have on our shoulders much more responsibility than when we arrived here.

"It is a huge task. But I would say that if Brazil could organise a World Cup in 1950 when I was four-and-a-half years old, what it can do when I reach 69 years of age."

Looking at Michel Platini, the former French skipper who scored against Brazil in the 1986 World Cup quarter-final and is now the president of Uefa, Lula said: "We cried, Platini, when you scored that penalty goal against us. The nation cried but we also laughed when Romario scored and Dunga lifted the cup."

Ricardo Teixeira, the president of the Brazilian FA (CBF), reacted angrily when asked about crime levels in his country.

"I believe that the violence issue today is an international issue. We had a recent good example during the Pan-American games in Rio - there was no violent event there. If you go to major cities in the US you see kids killing other kids in schools. At least we don't have that."

Fifa president Sepp Blatter also angrily reacted to the question, storming back to the podium and saying: "When we gave the World Cup to South Africa, the first question was about criminality. Now we have given it to Brazil and you start with the same questions. Please observe a little bit of respect to our institution, the House of Football and our guests here."

Although Brazil sent an official 27-man delegation to Fifa, former Brazil soccer great Pele was not among them. Teixeira said he had no idea were Pele was, adding that Dunga and Romario were in the delegation, representing the teams Brazil had fielded since he became president of the Brazilian FA: "I don't know where he (Pele) is but we invited two players here that represent the great generation of players during my presidency."

The rift between Pele and Teixeira first became public in 1993 when Pele was snubbed by Fifa, who refused to invite him to take part in the 1994 World Cup draw, held in Las Vegas. This followed a bitter attack by Pele on Teixeira, whose father-in-law Joao Havelange was Fifa president at the time. It resurfaced when Pele refused to back Brazil's bid for the 2006 World Cup, dealing the candidacy, which was withdrawn days before the final vote in Zurich, a fatal blow.

Brazilians let off fireworks, released balloons and draped giant yellow team shirts over landmarks to celebrate the announcement. In Sao Paulo, thousands of balloons in the national colours of yellow, blue, white and green were released into the sky from the pitch of Morumbi Stadium, home of former world club champions Sao Paulo FC, watched by a crowd of schoolchildren.

In Rio de Janeiro, a giant yellow football shirt was unfurled down the side of Urca Hill, next to the landmark Sugar Loaf Mountain. A banner saying "The Cup is ours" hung from one of the cable cars.

About 100 people dressed in Brazil team shirts led by Rio's Mayor Cesar Maia gathered on Corcovado mountain under the Christ the Redeemer statue to cheer.

With violent crime rampant in cities such as Rio, Recife and São Paulo, guaranteeing fans' safety is also an issue. Rio de Janeiro's municipal police chief, Carlos de Moraes Antunes, said a successful operation mounted in Rio for the Pan American Games in July showed Brazil could handle security. "This problem of public security isn't an impediment because the games are not just in one place, they are spread out," he said.

The world's fourth-largest democracy, with 185 million people, is a major emerging market and a diplomatic voice for the developing world. A successful World Cup could lift it in the way the 1988 Olympics lifted South Korea.

The Folha de S Paulo newspaper said Brazilian fans deserved the World Cup and it was a great opportunity for business, but it added a note of caution. "The difference between success and failure is in the planning," it said in an editorial. "Unfortunately, the history of the country and the government is a poor one."

Meanwhile, Germany have been named as the hosts of the 2011 women's World Cup, beating off a rival bid from Canada.

The decision was also announced by Blatter yesterday. Germany have won the last two women's World Cup finals.