FIFA World Cup 2014: Festival of football kicks off with Brazilian win
Brazil welcomed the world to the opening of the FIFA World Cup 2014 yesterday with a bright, colourful opening ceremony in the city of Sao Paulo.
The hosts also won their opening game, despite a scare, beating Croatia 3-1 in a hard fought match.
A cast of over 600 dancers performed at the opening ceremony, paying tribute to the country’s nature, people and football.
The final act of the show saw a performance of official World Cup song “We Are One” by Jennifer Lopez and rapper Pitbull.
The month-long tournament sees 32 nations compete in 64 games, with the final set for Rio on July 13th.
The opening game of the tournament between Brazil and Croatia kicked off at 21:00 BST, with the hosts coming from behind to win 3-1.
Brazilian hero Neymar scored twice, with his crucial second coming from a controversial penalty after team-mate Fred fell to the ground under minimal contact
England open their World Cup campaign against Italy on Saturday, June 14th.