World Cup Opening Ceremony Begins In Brazil

There were times when it looked unlikely but the World's biggest sporting event has finally got going in Brazil's biggest city.

The World Cup opening ceremony is underway at the Arena de Sao Paulo in Brazil with performers including Jennifer Lopez.

She is taking to the stage to sing the official Fifa World Cup song, 'We Are One (Ola Ola)', alongside Pitbull and Brazilian pop star Claudia Leitte.
The ceremony began with children jumping up and down on trampolines and people dressed as trees walking around a huge globe in the centre of the pitch.
Afterwards hosts Brazil will play Croatia in the first game of the tournament, which will be watched on TV by hundreds of millions of football fans around the world.

Police in action against the protesters

The match, which kicks off at 9pm, comes after violent clashes between police and demonstrators on a key road leading to the stadium.
Officers fired tear gas and stun grenades to disperse more than 100 protesters angry about the billions of dollars spent on the event.

Rubbish set on fire by the demonstrators

Demonstrators regrouped about two hours later and clashed with police again three blocks away, hurling rocks and setting fire to rubbish.
At least one protester was arrested, local media reported, and a producer for the US news network CNN was injured, according to witnesses.

Brazil fans pour into the Arena de Sao Paulo

Much of Sao Paulo, Brazil's biggest city and business capital, resembled a ghost town early on Thursday after a partial holiday was declared to ensure traffic to the football stadium would be light.
But excitement began to spread by mid-morning. Fans waving Brazil flags boarded trains heading to the stadium,  while Croatian supporters drank beer on Avenida Paulista, the city's best-known thoroughfare.

Neymar looks confident but will he deliver?

Brazil's team, led by star striker, Neymar, 22, is widely fancied to beat Croatia and go on to win a record sixth World Cup title.
The stakes are high on and off the pitch. Whether the tournament is a success may also have an effect on President Dilma Rousseff's chances for re-election in October.
She has dismissed complaints about overspending and construction delays and has urged Brazilians to get behind the national team.