The Socceroos are travel-weary but eager to get to work after arriving in Brazil promising to embrace their World Cup underdog status.

Coach Ange Postecoglou’s 27-man squad became the first foreign team to lob ahead of the World Cup, five days before next arrivals Croatia and Iran who are due on June 3.

Postecoglou said he was heartened by the way local people had embraced the Socceroos in the coastal town of Vitoria where they have their base camp.

He said it created the right atmosphere for them to prepare for their daunting World Cup clashes with Chile, the Netherlands and Spain after the tournament kicks off on June 12.

“It’s good to be here nice and early. It will give the players some time to settle in and get stuck into some training,” Postecoglou said.

“The people here are very welcoming and happy to see us so it will be a really good vibe for us.”

After stopping in Rio de Janeiro, the Socceroos landed again in the southern city of Curitiba before catching a connection to Vitoria.

About 100 Brazilian fans were waiting at Vitoria airport but the Socceroos, arriving in darkness, went straight from their plane to a bus with blacked-out windows and were whisked away to their hotel.

Dozens of heavily armed riot police were also at the airport, with authorities apparently fearing a repeat of protests which have marred the tournament’s build-up.

Throngs of Brazilian media awaited the Socceroos at the team hotel where Postecoglou and skipper Mile Jedinak were greeted by the mayor of the city and governor of the state of Espirito Santo.

After more than 20 hours in the air since leaving Sydney, Jedinak admitted the flights had taken their toll.

The Socceroos cancelled their training session scheduled for Thursday morning (Friday AEST), instead opting for a light walk on the beach in the afternoon.

“It’s a bit disorientating but I’m sure tonight we’ll get a good night’s sleep and hopefully acclimatise as quickly as possible,” Jedinak said.

“It’s great to be here finally and now we can get settled in and get straight to work.”

FIFA’s top official in charge of the tournament, Jerome Valcke, welcomed the 27-man squad with a message via Twitter.

“The @Socceroos have landed! Welcome to the 1st team arriving for the #WorldCup,” he posted with a photo of Australian winger Tommy Oar on the tarmac.

As the lowest-ranked side in the 32-team tournament, Oar acknowledged no one expected much from the young and relatively inexperienced Socceroos.

“We are the underdogs. It will be a good opportunity for the Australian team to surprise, so this is all very exciting,” Oar said.

“And being in the ‘soccer country’ is an extra motivation, of course.”

Players have only a few more days to prove their worth to Postecoglou before he names his final 23-man squad on June 2.

The Socceroos play a warm-up match against Croatia in Salvador on June 6 before opening their campaign versus Chile on June 14.

The @socceroos have landed in Brazil! Welcome to the 1st team arriving for the #WorldCup. #bemvindos #jatemcopa pic.twitter.com/eTuBxZ3L5j

— Jérôme Valcke (@jeromevalcke) May 28, 2014