The monthlong, 32-country soccer tournament known as the World Cup kicks off on June 12 in Brazil. And guess where the most tickets have been sold, outside of Brazil that is? Defying all logic, it’s the United States, the only country in the world you have to start an article about the World Cup by explaining what it is, when it starts and where it’s being played.

So since many of you are apparently going, and because Brazil — even under normal circumstances — is one of the most expensive places in the Western Hemisphere, I’ve compiled some country-specific money-saving strategies. They come both from friends in Brazil and my many travels around the country, which includes 11 of the 12 host cities. (You can find links to my past stories on those cities and the areas surrounding them here.)

Flying? Book Direct

Stating the obvious, Brazil is a big place, so fans following their own national teams will have to fly around the country; in the first round every side plays three games in three different cities, and no one knows where (or if) their team will be playing after that. But familiar sites like Kayak, Expedia and Skyscanner stumble when booking flights within Brazil, sometimes badly. In fact, I checked all the major sites I could think of, and not a single one listed flights for all four Brazilian airlines that serve the 12 host cities: Gol, TAM, Azul and Avianca Brazil. There’s also Passaredo, which serves five of the cities. Your best bet is to check them all individually and compare options.

For example, I’ve got a ticket to the United States-Ghana game in Natal on June 16. The next day, I need to fly to São Paulo. This past weekend, the best option on Kayak was a nonstop Gol flight for $461 — but at 2:50 a.m. Skyscanner came up with some one-stop afternoon options on Azul for $298. But none found the one I ended up buying from the Avianca Brazil website, an evening nonstop for $189.