Before 32 nations began their chase for World Cup glory, a ceremony to celebrate world football's greatest event must first take place. The 2014 World Cup Opening Ceremony scheduled for 2 p.m. ET will be held at the Arena de Sao Paulo in Sao Paolo and can be live streamed here free. Additional TV coverage can be found on ESPN.
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For artistic director Daphne Cornez, today's opening ceremony will serve as an opportunity to pay tribute to the rich culture of Brazil. "The Opening Ceremony is a tribute to Brazil and its treasures: nature, people football," said Cornez, after overseeing another of the many rehearsals that will take place this month (via FIFA). "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," she added.
"It's amazing."
With the ceremony taking place just hours before kick-off, the main objective remains limiting pitch damage. Organizers, however, have taken every precaution necessary to do so. "The ceremony is taking place during the day, which means we won't be using a lot of lighting or fireworks," explained Joana Havelange, the executive director of operational planning and support.
"There will be no pointed, sharp objects on the pitch or anything that's very heavy. As a result, the show will focus heavily on the dancers, the sets, the dance routines, fantasy sequences and the soundtrack, which is really lovely and took two and a half months to write."
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