Follow build-up and commentary of the 2014 Fifa World Cup opening ceremony at the Arena Corinthians in Sao Paulo, Thursday June 12, at 19:00 (BST)
6:32PM BST 12 Jun 2014
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What are your memories of World Cup opening ceremonies? What are your predictions for this time? Email alan.tyers@telegraph.co.uk or tweet @alantyers with your views
18.45 A chap called John Weaver has just tweeted this picture of the stadium, he says "about an hour before the start of the ceremony". Cheers @JohnMWeaver1
18.38 For those as like this sort of thing, it now seems that J-Lo WILL be performing at the opening ceremony. She was in, she was out, now she's back in. She will be performing alongside Pitbull, the Latin Grammy-winning Miami rapper whose work I am sure needs no introduction for Telegraph readers. Apparently, his debut album was called M.I.A.M.I. and subtitled "Money Is A Major Issue". Sounds like FIFA's sort of guy on that evidence.
18.32 Predictions for the ceremony? Will we see anything to match DianaRoss's penalty effort?
18.27 So: who's going to be taking some sneaky time off work during the tournament? Here's my guide to skiving off work during the World Cup...
18.22 Not all beer and skittles in the build-up to the World Cup. Here's news of a journalist being injured as Sao Paolo police, using rubber bullets and stun grenades, clashed with protestors. They don't seem like terribly nice people, the police in Sao Paolo.
18.18 Talking of World Cup posters, we did this gallery at the last WC that's got some belters in it. World Cup posters down the years
18.15 Emails starting to come in from around the world. Here's Eddiefrom Ghana:
I have closed and rushing home to catch a glimpse of the opening ceremony. When is it starting. Ghana's group is too tough and i wonder if we will scale through. I love Ghana and i like brazil, i cherish Argentina and i have rooted for Spain to take the CUP.
I have closed and rushing home to catch a glimpse of the opening ceremony. When is it starting. Ghana's group is too tough and i wonder if we will scale through. I love Ghana and i like brazil, i cherish Argentina and i have rooted for Spain to take the CUP.
18.12 Oh boy. This is a really lovely picture. I've taken it from the twitter account of @iammoallim , who also goes by the name of Mohamed Moallim. Hope that is ok Mohamed.
18.10 A tweet from the Telegraph's sports newshound Ben Rumsby.
@BenRumsby Look who's supporting Brazil in São Paulo.
@BenRumsby Look who's supporting Brazil in São Paulo.
18.01 Happiness! We have our first email of the evening and it comes from Myra M. Myra, you have the floor:
The WC 2010 ceremony and games in South Africa were spectacular! The song was great and the people coming together brought me to tears. Loved the Vuvuzelas! I was very proud of my team, Spain. However, the team from Ghana was fantastic, too bad they didn't make it to the finals, I was also rooting for them. I am looking forward to WC 2014, however I already do not care much for the song. Although Spain is my team, I enjoy watching all the games, I wish all teams the best of luck and pray for safe and smooth WC 2014! Go Spain! Ole, Ole...
Yeah, I wanted Ghana to do well as well. That cheating little so-and-so.... Have we forgiven Luis Suarez yet? He is an amazing player. And I guess Ghana really should have scored that penalty after he handled on the line. Still stuck in the craw though, did it not?
18.00 Hey, this is quite cool. Here's a video with Alan Smith (not the Leeds Alan Smith who looked like Claire Goose when she was in Casualty) (or the Alan Smith that managed Palace), but the other one, the main one really, the one that used to play for the Arsenal. That Alan Smith. Anyway, he's done a video where he tests out the new World Cup footballs. CHECK IT YO as the young people definitely do not say.
17.55 The World Cup opening ceremony in the UK will be on ITV. For foreign readers, that's a commercial broadcaster, unlike the state-funded BBC, which is famous for its charity work in sports coverage. The kindly station hires intellectually challenged ex-footballers and gives them a safe space where they can talk about football in comfort. It's moving and important work. What's football coverage like in your country, Abroad Chums?
17.50 It's definitely the season for daft press releases, isn't it? "Hi there - as you know, the World Cup starts today!" begins this most recent one. THANKS FOR TELLING US!
17.45 T-minus 90 minutes to the ceremony. Meantime, what is a GROUP OF DEATH? In the latest of his Sport Explained video series, Thom Gibbs will let you know. Sort of. Have a look here.
16.00 Afternoon all, welcome to our live blog coverage of the World Cup opening ceremony. It is all very exciting indeed. The ceremony will get underway at 19.15 and we are eagerly anticipating exuberant dancing, glamorous Brazilians wearing feathers and possibly not a lot else, a few words from everybody's favourite sporting administrator Lord Sepp of Blatter and no doubt some happy-clappy 'we are the world' kum-bay-ahhing dance segment that treads the line between sweetly inspirational and utterly bananas.
I will bring you the ceremony as it happens, updates from the Telegraph's team at the ground, tweets, videos, pictures and basically anything else I can think of. Please email me or do a Twitters at me if you are so minded and tell me how you're enjoying the ceremony and your thoughts for the tournament as a whole. Or anything else you like. It's the World Cup, it belongs to all of us, and, in direct contravention of correct global football admin protocol, you don't even have to send me a bribe to get your email published.
Later in the evening, of course, Brazil take on Croatia and we will also be live blogging that. See you back here in a bit!
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In Rio de Janeiro, some of the 600,000 foreign fans travelling to Brazil throng the famous Copacabana beach, staging impromptu football matches. Rio's iconic Christ the Redeemer statue has been illuminated in the colors of all nations taking part and Brazilian flags flutter from cars, bars and apartments with Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio among the overseas multitude jetting into the country, taking in the tournament from the luxury of a mega-yacht offshore.
Twelve government leaders or heads of state will be among the VIPS atThursday's opening ceremony. But even though more Brazilians are sporting the yellow jersey of star forward Neymar, discontent continues to bubble.
Scattered protests are planned in several host cities during the tournament.
And while Sao Paulo subway workers late Wednesday voted against a repeat of the strike which plunged the city into gridlocked paralysis last week, airport workers in Rio were planning a partial 24-hour walkout.
"We're Brazilian and we continue to root for Brazil, but it's our duty to fight for workers rights," union leader Rui Pessoa said.
Watch live: Brazil prepares for World Cup 2014 kick off
The multi-billion-dollar cost of the World Cup has angered many in a country which has chronically under-funded health and public services and violent crime.
Rage at poor public services morphed into a nationwide movement during last year's Confederations Cup test event, with deadly clashes rippling across the nation.
For the World Cup, a vast security blanket is being deployed, with 150,000 soldiers and police on duty along with 20,000 private security officers.
Brazil's leader Dilma Rousseff warned that her government will not tolerate a repeat of last year's protests.
"We will guarantee the security of Brazilians and of those who come visit us," she said.
Football's governing body Fifa begins the tournament under mounting pressure over allegations of corruption linked to its decision to award the 2022 World Cup to Qatar.
Fifa President Sepp Blatter has responded to the scandals by shoring up his power base.
On Wednesday he signalled his intention to seek a fifth four-year term next year, despite calls for him to step down.
"My mandate will finish next year... but my mission is not finished," he said to boos from sections of the Fifa Congress.
For all the off-field problems dogging the build-up the tournament itself has the makings of a classic.
Reigning champions Spain are bidding to make history by becoming the first side from Europe to win a World Cup in South America, which last hosted the tournament in 1978.
Vicente del Bosque's side have dominated international football for the past six years, winning two consecutive European championships either side of their 2010 World Cup triumph.
With hundreds of millions of people watching on TV, organizers at Itaquerao stadium have extra cause to be edgy about preparations.
The Sao Paulo venue is set to hold a capacity crowd for the first time in the opening match of the World Cup.
The 61,600 spectators will certainly test the facility and put a strain on safety plans and equipment, which was still receiving finishing touches Wednesday after chronic delays, worker deaths and other problems during construction.
Just two matches - and none with more than 37,000 fans - were held at the Itaquerao to test its readiness.
Jennifer Lopez is likely to perform at the World Cup after all saying that she would be flying to Brazil in time to perform during Thursday's opening ceremony.
"We always were going," she said. "I think people get anxious, especially with me and my schedule ... but we are definitely going."
Fifa officials had announced earlier this week that the singer wouldn't perform the official tune "We Are One (Ole Ola)" alongside Pitbull and Claudia Leitte.
The World Cup has produced its share of shockers on opening day. Until 2006, the first game usually involved the defending champion, not the host. Two of the biggest: Cameroon upset defending champion Argentina 1-0 in 1990, and defending champion France lost 1-0 to Senegal in 2002.
Five memorable moments at World Cup opening ceremonies ahead of the 2014 edition in Sao Paulo on Thursday:
2010 - South Africa
Africa's first ever World Cup - which Sepp Blatter had promised he would deliver when he was first elected in 1998 - enjoyed a sumptuous musical display in Johannesburg with several top national stars performing. However, the biggest star of all was unable to be there as former president Nelson Mandela had to pull out when his great-granddaughter was killed in a car crash earlier that day. He did make it to the final but only briefly as a frail figure he was driven round the stadium prior to the Spain and the Holland clash.
Africa's first ever World Cup - which Sepp Blatter had promised he would deliver when he was first elected in 1998 - enjoyed a sumptuous musical display in Johannesburg with several top national stars performing. However, the biggest star of all was unable to be there as former president Nelson Mandela had to pull out when his great-granddaughter was killed in a car crash earlier that day. He did make it to the final but only briefly as a frail figure he was driven round the stadium prior to the Spain and the Holland clash.
2006 - Germany
It all started with German supermodel Claudia Schiffer strolling onto the pitch with Brazilian legend, three-time World Cup winner Pele. However, they looked on bemused as two figures dressed as fairytale characters Hansel and Gretel were assailed on the Munich pitch by polka dancers and their hornblower partners who had been part of the first half of the ceremony but clearly did not wish to leave the scene.
It all started with German supermodel Claudia Schiffer strolling onto the pitch with Brazilian legend, three-time World Cup winner Pele. However, they looked on bemused as two figures dressed as fairytale characters Hansel and Gretel were assailed on the Munich pitch by polka dancers and their hornblower partners who had been part of the first half of the ceremony but clearly did not wish to leave the scene.
2002 - South Korea/Japan
South Korea and bitter historical rivals Japan co-hosted the finals with the Koreans laying on the opening ceremony and the Japanese given the final. However, not even being made joint-hosts meant all was peace and harmony between the two countries and Japanese Emperor Akihito was not present at the opening ceremony while Fifa chief Sepp Blatter was roundly booed as he tried to make his first speech as president at a World Cup finals having been elected to succeed Brazilian strongman Joao Havelange.
South Korea and bitter historical rivals Japan co-hosted the finals with the Koreans laying on the opening ceremony and the Japanese given the final. However, not even being made joint-hosts meant all was peace and harmony between the two countries and Japanese Emperor Akihito was not present at the opening ceremony while Fifa chief Sepp Blatter was roundly booed as he tried to make his first speech as president at a World Cup finals having been elected to succeed Brazilian strongman Joao Havelange.
1994 - United States
Diana Ross may be a soul singing legend but her skills with a football proved to be a talking point at the opening ceremony in Soldier Field Stadium, home to the NFL's Chicago Bears. Asked simply to kick the football into an open goal she fluffed her lines completely as she sent it wide of the posts. The ceremony was capped with chat show host Oprah Winfrey falling off the stage.
Diana Ross may be a soul singing legend but her skills with a football proved to be a talking point at the opening ceremony in Soldier Field Stadium, home to the NFL's Chicago Bears. Asked simply to kick the football into an open goal she fluffed her lines completely as she sent it wide of the posts. The ceremony was capped with chat show host Oprah Winfrey falling off the stage.
1978 - Argentina
Opening ceremony was overshadowed by all-round surprise that all 24 teams turned up as there was some reluctance on the part of several players to travel to a country which had been a military dictatorship since 1976. Even more sinister was that the venue the River Plate Stadium was just a mile from the Naval Mechanics School (ESMA), a notorious prison camp where opponents of the junta were allegedly tortured
Opening ceremony was overshadowed by all-round surprise that all 24 teams turned up as there was some reluctance on the part of several players to travel to a country which had been a military dictatorship since 1976. Even more sinister was that the venue the River Plate Stadium was just a mile from the Naval Mechanics School (ESMA), a notorious prison camp where opponents of the junta were allegedly tortured
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