The wait for the Football World Cup 2014 is almost over. The much-awaited grand kick-off in Sao Paulo is just a couple of hours away. The opening Pool-A encounter between hosts Brazil and Croatia which will begin at 1:30 AM Indian Time.
It will be preceded by a grand opening ceremony at the Arena Corinthians featuring live performances from some of the biggest stars of the world. The ceremony will take place around a glowing spherical centerpiece symbolizing a soccer ball.
Made of 90,000 light clusters, the ball will have a total luminance of 7,000 Lux. Around 600 artists, including acrobatic gymnasts, martial arts-style performers and stilt walkers will also take part in the event.
Thirty two teams have been divided into 8 groups. The opening or the group stage will be a round-robin competition, and top two teams of each group will advance to the knock-out stage.
So, this is it! The FIFA World Cup is here! 32 teams, having world's top players, are all set to battle it out for that prestigious Gold Cup, the dream of every football player.
With the opener slated between hosts Brazil and Croatia, what better one could have asked for. This is a match between the South American hot favourites and an emerging European nation, the second best team in Pool-A.
All eyes will be on Neymar, how well he uses the home conditions, with some world class players by his side. With Fred and Hulk expected to be with him upfront, Oscar in the midfield, and the likes of Dani Alves, Silva and Marcelo at the back, Brazil looks powerful, but Croatia won't be an easy nut to crack.
Croatia has Real Madrid's Luka Modric in the middle, Bayern Munich forward Mario Mandzukic upfront, and Shakhtar Donetsk skipper Darijo Srna at the back. Even though the team is not that celebrated, but these players have the ability to stem any team's dominance.
To sum it up, Luiz Felipe Scolari would fancy a win in this opener, and stay at the top of the rest of Group stage, while Niko Kovac's men would give their best shot to beat the hosts, and enter the knock-out stage as table toppers. Let's wait and watch.
