The highly anticipated 2014 World Cup is kicking off with an opening ceremony that will rival the Olympics with performances from Jennifer Lopez, Pitbull, superheroes and more.
The event, which is expected to feature all the "pageantry and decadence to be expected from a FIFA production," will highlight the beauty and history of Brazil, the host country of the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
Click Here To Stream The World Cup Opening Ceremony
"The Opening Ceremony is a tribute to Brazil and its treasures: nature, people, football," the show's artistic director Daphne Cornez told FIFA.com. "The sense of excitement here is amazing and everyone is very motivated. It doesn't matter whether they're feeling tired or hot sometimes or if they have to go through routines again and again: they just keep on smiling. It's amazing."
Cornez added that each of the country's treasures is represented in the show by characters and props. The event will feature a central "living" LED ball made of 90,000 light clusters producing a luminance of 7,000 Nits.
The 25-minute show will also feature more than 600 performers, including Pitbull who will be performing "We Are One (Ole Ola),"the tournaments unofficial song, alongside Jennifer Lopez and Claudia Leitte, Yahoo Sports reported.
The host nation faces Croatia today in the first game of the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
The weather in Sao Paolo is expected to be hot during the day, potentially reaching the 90s, and will cool off during the evening. The match will be played under clear conditions.
Brazil's soccer team, which is appeared in 20 World Cup tournaments, its first being in 1930, is expected to beat out Croatia, Mexico and Cameroon in the group.
Brazil has won soccer's biggest tournament five times (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994 and 2002).
